


Healing

by Elizabetho



Category: Tin Man (2007)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 20:19:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16047836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elizabetho/pseuds/Elizabetho
Summary: This story is about learning to heal. Azkadellia has gone through many horrible things in her life. Things are beginning to improve and she is starting to heal. Zero has a problem with that and plans to make Azkadellia pay for betraying her loyal Longcoats, especially him. This story takes her to her limit physically and mentally. Can she ever come back and heal? This story contains rape and graphic violence and is rated mature.





	1. Chapter 1

Three months have passed since the double eclipse. The OZ has been reeling from the events surrounding it. The people are afraid to believe the horrors from the Sorceress’ reign are over. Many people cry for Azkadellia’s head, wanting to see her punished for the wrongs committed while possessed by the sorceress.  Az’s family has rallied around her trying to help the people understand. They sent aid to those that need it and return money that had been stolen. The jails have been emptied of innocent people and instead of being filled with Longcoats and those that committed crimes in the sorceress’ name. No matter what the ruling family, the House of Gale, has done, there is one person that doesn’t think she can ever be forgiven or able to forget, Azkadellia.

                Azkadellia keeps to herself as much as possible. The looks of fear and hate on people’s faces feel like tears into her soul. She remembers every person the witch hurt. Every horrible thing that was committed in her name. The witch fed off Azkadellia’s power forcing her to endure every moment. This kept Az weak and the witch strong. Only her sister DG could pull her out of those horrible memories.

                DG spent as much time as she could with her sister. Simple things like brushing her sister’s hair and talking of little memories that were coming back to her from their childhood. Anything she could think off to keep Az’s eyes from becoming empty. DG was also drowning in guilt for the horrors that had occurred. If only she hadn’t let, go of her sister’s hand. The witch would never have been freed and Az would have been safe. Instead, she had run in fear dooming her sister to 15 years of possession by the witch.

                Azkadellia’s mother, Lavender, had been struggling to find ways to reconnect with her daughters. It’s easier with DG especially after the lengths she had gone to protect her “Angel”. With Az, it was a lot more difficult. She had seen her daughter do so many horrible things, not knowing about the witch controlling her. The queen wanted to be able to open her arms and hold both of her girls, but she didn’t know how. Ahamo, the princesses’ father found connecting with both of his girls much easier. He could see the pain and horror in Azkadellia’s eyes from her life possessed by the witch. His touch still made Az jump, but she wasn’t pulling away and would allow his hugs. Slowly between DG and her father’s help, Az was beginning to come out of her shell. Her quiet laugh at one of DG’s antics surprised those around her. They tried not to overreact but the smiles on their faces spoke volumes to Az. She wondered if maybe she could heal, someday.

**********************************************************************************

 

                On the far side of the OZ, things were beginning to happen that was the opposite of what was happening in the palace. There was a small number of Longcoats that had escaped capture. They weren’t planning on setting back and allowing the House of Gale to regain power. Under the sorceress’ reign, the Longcoats had power.  They were judge, jury, and executioners. They were intoxicated with their ability to do whatever they wanted, hurt whoever they wanted in her name. Now they were being hunted down like animals.

                Their first goal had been to free Zero from the iron suit he had been imprisoned in by Wyatt Cain. Then they started attacking the smaller jails holding their comrades. Their numbers were beginning to grow. Zero was careful to keep it all under the radar though. He had plans and they were focused around the princess Azkadellia. She was the one that had betrayed them and was being welcomed back while they were being hunted. He would make her pay and convince the people of the O.Z. that she wasn’t the innocent little victim that she was being portrayed as. No matter what the people’s reactions were, Azkadellia would pay and no one would ever forget how.

**********************************************************************************

 

                “Az come on,” DG called to her. “You can’t stay in that room on such a beautiful day! We can go to the gardens and enjoy the sun.”

                DG almost to the point where she would drag her sister out. Cain, the tin man was waiting in the girls sitting room, gave a quiet chuckle. In the last three months, he had come to like Azkadellia and felt protective of her. He almost felt more protective of her than he did of DG. Az was so vulnerable, a tortured child inside of a young woman’s body. All of DG’s friends had come to feel that way about her, especially when Raw saw inside of her heart. He had experienced what she was like under the witches’ power and he knew that the witch was gone, and only Az remained.

                The five of them, Az, Dg, Cain, Glitch, and Raw were all supposed to have a picnic in the palace gardens. Everything had been carefully planned, even how to get Azkadellia to come. Unfortunately, those careful plans don’t seem to be working.

                Azkadellia didn’t want to leave her room. She was feeling raw and exposed after waking up from a nightmare. She couldn’t get the faces of the men, the witch forced her to be with, out of her head. Their sexual interests always terrified Az. It had been a way to reward the men that had pleased the witch over the years. They had been rough with her, causing more pain than pleasure. The witches pleasure came from Az’s torment. Her dream had brought it all back to her. Their faces, the feel of their hands and the pain. This morning Azkadellia didn’t want to be touched by anyone. Not even DG or her father could get close to her. She made excuses about not feeling well and not wanting to ruin their picnic. DG, however, wasn’t giving up.

                After trying unsuccessfully to get Az to come out, DG flopped down on the couch in the princesses’ sitting room with her friends.

                “What should I do? I know she needs to get out of her room, something is wrong this morning and I can’t figure it out!”, whined DG. Cain and Glitch were stumped as well. Az had agreed to the picnic the day before and had been looking forward to it. Raw seemed to be considering something and DG was curious to find out what.

                “Raw, can you feel anything that can help me understand what is going on?”, asked DG. He didn’t say anything for a minute or so, then looked straight at DG with tears in his eyes.

                “Az is hurting, frightened about something. Afraid to be touched.” The look on his face reflected some of the pain Az was feeling. Standing up, Raw motioned to Cain and Glitch. “We go, DG go to sister. Come get us later.” Cain was the girls' personal guard and wouldn’t go far but would give them the privacy they needed.

                “I’ll be right outside in the hallway if you need me kid,” Cain told DG as he rested his hand on her shoulder. She appreciated the support coming from her tin man. “Take your time. She needs you.” With that, he left DG to figure out how to talk with Az. This time instead of hollering for Az to come, DG went to her door and gently knocked. When she heard no answer, she slowly opened the door.

                “Az, it’s DG.” She said softly. Azkadellia was seated in the window seat facing away from the door. DG walked over and stood beside her but didn’t try to touch her. “Raw said you needed me, that you were afraid. All three of the guys left, so it’s just you and me.” DG wasn’t sure what else she should say so she pulled a chair up beside her sister and watched out the window with her. They sat there in silence for quite a while. DG would glance over at Azkadellia occasionally. She always saw the same look upon her face, sad but closed off.

                DG was beginning to wonder if they would sit like this all day. She glanced over at Az again and was surprised to see a tear slip down her sister’s face. That one tear was followed by more. They came faster, and Az’s body started to tremble. DG couldn’t stand by any longer. She got up from her chair and wrapped her arms around her sister. DG felt her stiffen but didn’t pull away. The tears and trembling turned to wracking sobs. DG just held her and stroked her hair softly. Taking Az’s hand DG tried to share the love she felt for her sister. Their hands began to glow, and a calm feeling began to flow between them. Azkadellia’s tears finally slowed and she slumped against DG exhausted. They stayed like that for a while before Az pulled away, trying to compose herself.

                “Can you tell me what happened?”, DG asked. Az sat quietly not saying anything for several minutes.

                “I can’t get them out of my head”, she said softly.

                “Who?”

                “The men, her men.” She paused for a minute before continuing. “The witch liked to be with a certain type of men, like Zero and used her body,” she seemed to choke on the words, “my body, to reward them. He was there in my nightmare last night and I could feel his hands, feel his body on me.” Her voice dropped down to barely a whisper, “in me”.

                Understanding came crashing down on DG and what those men had done to her big sister. As the sorceress, the witch had raped Azkadellia by allowing her body to be assaulted against her will. DG wished there was a way to kill the witch all over again. Rage at what her sister had endured filled her. Az suddenly pulled her hand away from DG like she had been burned. Her eyes were wide and filled with fear. Realizing that her anger was transferring to her sister via their shared magic and ashamed at what she had done, DG forced herself to calm down.

                “I’m sorry, knowing what they did to you makes me want to hit something. Maybe I’ll have to visit Cain’s punching bag. It’s pretty helpful sometimes. I often use it after dress fitting and history lessons.” Her joking seemed to have a calming effect on both of them. DG pulled her chair closer to her sister so that she could continue to hold the older princess’ hand. They sat in silence while thinking about their conversation. DG was still struggling to deal with the information she had received. Az was also struggling but for a different reason.

                This was the first time that the older princess had been able to share any of her pain with someone else, especially the pain from these memories. She was surprised that it had helped her to feel better and not so alone. With a soft voice, Az asked her little sister if they could still have a picnic. She wanted to be outside and forget her demons for a while. First DG had a surprised, somewhat confused look on her face in response but that quickly turned to one of joy and excitement.

                They both quickly washed their faces hoping to erase the signs left from their tears. Azkadellia changed into something comfortable that was brighter than what she had been wearing. They left their suite arm in arm to go track down their friends for their picnic.

                When Cain saw them come out he couldn’t suppress the surprised pleasure that was written all over his face. Something had changed for the better. Maybe this was the beginning of a new life for all of them.


	2. Chapter 2

Zero was almost ready. His plans were coming together nicely, and he knew he would have princess Azkadellia soon. Zero felt himself start to react as he remembered the last time he had her beneath him. He had been one of the sorceress’ favorites to play with in her chambers. She had always been the dominant one but had loved when he gave her a mix of pain with pleasure. The Longcoat wondered how the princess would be without the sorceress. He couldn’t decide what would be more delicious, her cries of pain or the reaction from her family to her pain. To have her family see their precious princess broken and broadcast live for the whole O.Z. to watch.

************************************************************************************

                The two princesses retired to their suite after spending the day among friends. Az couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so relaxed and carefree. She had even noticed looks of surprise on the faces of other people as they made their way back. The lack of fear and anger on the people’s faces left Azkadellia feeling almost giddy.

                DG was amazed at the difference she saw in Az. Glitch had been glitching a lot over the course of the afternoon. Her sister was still smiling from it, and DG swore she had seen Az shake with silent laughter. Even Cain had laughed at Glitches antics. The younger princess wondered if Glitch had been doing a good portion of it on purpose, trying to draw the older princess out of her shell. DG felt like giving him a giant hug, but she didn’t want to give his plan away. She had also noticed the changes in looks from passersby. Hope filled her, this was a start.

                ************************************************************

                Azkadellia sat brushing her hair that night as she prepared for bed. She was feeling hopeful that the dreams wouldn’t come tonight. For the first time since the witch was killed the princess climbed into her bed without the crushing weight of fear. Her eyes slipped closed as she slipped into slumber.

               

                She could feel his presence. His smell filled her nostrils. Lips grazed the skin of her throat. It was Zero, the man she feared above all others. Azkadellia struggled to wake up, escape from the horrible man. As her eyes opened, terror filled the princesses’ heart. Zero’s face was right in front of hers. How was this possible? He was supposed to be trapped in an iron suit!

                One hand was stroking her throat while the other fondled her breast. Az was paralyzed with fear. Her body froze and wouldn’t respond to her command to push his hands away. Her magic seemed to be locked away where she couldn’t find it.

                “Did you think you could escape me,” Zero whispered in her ear? “You are mine!” He pulled back away from her, pulling the princess to a sitting position and Az realized he wasn’t alone. Other Longcoats, that they hadn’t been able to track down and some broken out of prison, stood ready to attack anyone that came to her aid.

                “If you call out I will slit Cain open and show your little sister the type of fun we used to have. Do you think she’s strong enough to survive?” Azkadellia shook her head no as tears flowed down her cheeks. “Good girl,” Zero said as he licked the tears from her face. He then covered her mouth and nose with an odd smelling cloth, watching as the woman’s eyes fluttered closed and became limp in his arms.

*********************************************************************************

                When Azkadellia woke she found herself starring upside down at the side of a horse. Her arms were suspended above her head and were bound tightly. Her mouth was filled with a foul-tasting cloth and she struggled to breathe through her nose. She was draped across the back of a horse. The terrified woman was tied down and could barely move. A tarp was wrapped around her, disguising her from any passerby. Az didn’t know how long she had been unconscious, but her body ached like it had been in this position for a long time.

                The princess could hear men talking around her. Some voices she recognized and some she didn’t. She was on Zero’s horse and he was obviously in charge. He was giving orders to scout ahead and hurry to a rendezvous point. A few minutes later she felt a hand rubbing on her backside.

                “I know your awake princess. We will be arriving soon and then we can get reacquainted with each other.” She felt him move the tarp off her some, allowing him to slide his hand under. Az was still in her night clothes that weren’t very thick or long. She felt him rub his hand over her backside and then start pulling up her nightdress. Tears began to slip up into her hair as emotions started to overwhelm her. Her nightdress was pulled up to her waist and his hand began to slip under her panties.

                “Sir, we are coming up to the main road.” Zero quickly pulled his hand back and repositioned the tarp, concealing her. They urged their horses faster, trying to reduce their time in the open.

                Zero didn’t try to touch her again until they arrived at their destination a few hours later. After dismounting, he began untying Azkadellia from the horse. He pulled her down, catching her in his arms. Az’s body was limp because her limbs were asleep from being tied down so long. The Longcoat carried her into a small concrete building. It looked like a bunker of some kind. Inside there were stairs that led down to a basement. Zero carried her down the stairs and into a cell. The only thing in the cell was a mattress. When Azkadellia saw the mattress, her entire body began to tremble. Zero felt the tremors and was sure he could smell her fear. He dropped her on the mattress and stood there leering at her. He rubbed his cock through his pants for a few minutes as she lay there exposed to him. He chuckled and walked out closing the door behind them.

                Azkadellia felt like she was suffocating. Her mouth was still gagged, and her nose kept becoming clogged from her crying. She made herself calm down, trying to breathe evenly through her nose. Looking around the princess could see nothing but three solid walls and one with bars. Looking past the bars, Az could see a table with what appeared to be a video recording device. Az remembered the witch using something like that a few times before. She was afraid to think of what Zero’s intentions for the device were. It was pointed right at her and she could see a light blinking. Exhaustion finally overcame her, and she slipped into a restless sleep.

************************************************************************************

                DG went in to wake her older sister, hoping for another day like yesterday. She hadn’t heard Az have any nightmares, so she assumed things had gone better for her. When she went to open the door, she found it locked from the inside. DG knocked loudly on the door thinking maybe Az was in the restroom. When no answer came the young princess closed her eyes and focused on the lock. It clicked open for her after a few seconds.

                The sight that awaited her had her screaming for Cain. He came running into the room in response to DG’s scream. He hadn’t even taken the time to put a shirt on. He came into the room with his gun ready. What he found was DG sitting on Azkadellia’s bed holding a piece of paper. Cain went through the room checking for any sign that someone was still there. It was obvious that someone other than the older princess had been there, multiple people in fact. There were large boot prints all over the pale blue carpet. The blankets had been thrown off the bed onto the floor and Azkadellia was gone. After making sure there was no immediate danger he went to DG and took the paper from her limp fingers. Cain knew it was bad. Tears were streaming down the young princesses’ face and she looked like she was in shock. He quickly scanned the letter and a feeling of dread almost made him want to be physically ill.

_I have taken what is mine. The OZ owes us for keeping the peace for the last decade. Your sweet Azkadellia has betrayed us and will pay the price. Don’t worry though, you will be seeing her soon enough. All, of the OZ, will see her and will know what she truly is. Tell Cain that I look forward to seeing him and tell the sweet princess DG that her turn will be soon enough._

_Zero_

*********************************************************************************

                Azkadellia woke to find Zero standing over her. He was just watching her. After standing there for a short time, he pulled out a knife and knelt in front of her. Az didn’t move afraid of what he planned on doing with that knife. When the witch played with him, a knife was generally part of their fun. Azkadellia could remember once having that knife shoved up inside her womb. She had become pregnant and the witch wanted it cut out. She revealed in the captive girl’s pain. Eventually, the witch healed her body with no external evidence. No one, except Zero, knew anything had ever happened, but the memory of the pain was burned into Azkadellia’s mind forever.

                Instead of hurting her with the knife Zero used it to cut the ropes binding her hands and feet. He also removed the gag shoved in her mouth. All she could do after he pulled it out was gasp for air. After finally being able to catch her breath she looked up to see Zero smirking at her.

                “What do you want with me?” Azkadellia asked in a quiet voice. Zero’s eyes narrowed as he continued to smirk. Without warning his hand came up and connected with the side of her face. Az cried out in pain and was knocked onto her back. He positioned himself over her with an arm on each side of her head.

                “You really were possessed by a witch! You are weak and pathetic without her to make you the sorceress,” he growled at her. “I’m going to enjoy hearing you scream. Your family will get to hear you scream too. The whole OZ will hear and see what I’m going to do to you. And you’re going to beg for mercy the same way the Sorceresses’ victims did.” Leaning down he whispered, “It will be music to my ears.”

                The terror that Azkadellia felt was written all over her face. Zero’s grin widened, and she felt like prey about to be eaten. Leaning down he buried his nose in her hair and breathed deeply. “Umm, you smell so good!” Moving his face from her hair he captured her lips in a bruising kiss. Grabbing her jaw, Zero, forced Azkadellia’s mouth open allowing him to thrust his tongue in. The frightened princess tried to fight him, screaming into his mouth. Finally, he released her mouth and looked down into Az’s wide terrified eyes.

                Whispering, the evil man asked if she remembered their time together. “Do you remember how you and I loved to play with knives? I didn’t understand why you seemed to be enjoying yourself one moment and then screaming in pain the next. If I stopped the sorceress yelled at me to continue. She was letting you through, wasn’t she? It was your delicious screams that I heard.” Azkadellia’s face went white with remembered pain. She could almost feel the knife inside her, twisting.

                The Longcoat’s hands moved to grasp her breasts in a painful grip. He wanted to feel her soft flesh, so he ripped the front of her nightgown open wide. One hand grasped her right breast while his mouth enveloped the left one. Swirling his tongue around her nipple and then flicking it with his tongue. He brought it to a point before biting it. The other he pinched and tugged on, rolling it around in his fingers. All Az could do was cry out in pain and struggle, trying to push him off. He was too heavy though. His hand left her nipple and slid down her body to the top of her leg. Dragging her dress up slowly with his fingers, he finally reached bare skin.

                Az knew what was coming. He was going to touch her in a place she had never given anyone permission to touch. The witch had taken away her choice.  Anger filled her, replacing her fear, and she started trying to throw him off or at least get his hand to move.  Zero’s mouth let go of her breast and his eyes came up to meet hers.

                “That’s what I want to see!” A grin split wide across his face. “I don’t want a woman that just lays there and cries.”

                Az was surprised when Zero climbed off her and stood by the mattress looking down at her. Why had he stopped? Not that she wasn’t thankful, but she could see the large bulge in his pants, he clearly was turned on. Grabbing the front of her nightdress she pulled it together, sat up and scooted as far away from him as she could get.

                “Soon princess, when I take you it will be for the whole OZ to witness. How many of them do you think will be cheering me on? It doesn’t matter that you are no longer the sorceress, this was her body and raping you will work just as well.”

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                Queen Lavender, Ahamo, Cain, DG and Cain’s son Jeb were in the queen’s office. The queen was pacing back and forth in a rage.

                “How did they get in here? You were supposed to be protecting her, “she shot at Cain and Jeb.

                “No one knew that there were secret tunnels leading to her chambers. We have gone through and sealed any other ones we have found,” Cain sighed in defeat. He was responsible for her. She was just beginning to come out of her shell and now Zero had her. After they had all had a chance to read the letter DG spoke up.

                “I need to tell you something about Az and Zero. She doesn’t want any of you to know this but under the circumstances, I think you should.” DG took a deep breath before proceeding.  “When Az was possessed by the witch, the witch and Zero had a sick relationship. Pain was a key part of their games, especially with knives. The witch made sure Azkadellia felt everything. Her power grew from Az’s agony.” Tears were streaming down everyone’s faces. Queen Lavender was cupping her face in her hands and Ahamo had his arm around her trying to comfort her.

                “He has been the focus of her worst nightmares and now he has her! He’s going to hurt her, and I don’t know if she will be able to survive it.” Having finished speaking DG closed her eyes and let the tears flow.

                It was the Queen’s Consort Ahamo that got everyone’s attention. “We are not going to mourn Az when we know she is alive. She is much stronger than we are giving her credit for. Look what she has survived already. We need to stop looking at the past and figure out how to find her.” Everyone looked at him in silence for a moment before Cain ended it.

                “Ahamo is right! Time to turn our focus on getting the princess back.” Looking around he asked, “What do we know that might be of help?” Jeb straightened and spoke up. “There have been reports of Longcoats being broke out of several of the smaller jails. I think it’s safe to assume that this is where Zero is getting his men. All of them are within a 50-mile area. I think we should focus our attention there.”

                Cain agreed with Jeb’s assessment. “I think we should also have a visit with some of the Longcoats here in the Central City prison. Maybe we can narrow the area down. I’m hoping to find locations that Zero might go to ground, hiding Azkadellia.”

                DG was nodding her head in agreement with Cain. “I have a question about Zero’s letter. What do you think he meant when he said the whole OZ will see her for what she really is? I don’t think he’s talking about spreading information. I think he means they will actually see her. How is that possible?”

                Queen Lavender spoke for the first time. “What about projecting an image across the OZ? It’s not something that has been done very often but when the Sorceress wanted everyone to know she had taken power, her image appeared in the center of every town. We all heard her message of the nightmare to come. The one here in Central City was enormous!”

                “What if he’s planning on filming what he does to Az and showing it to the whole OZ? DG said in a voice filled with horror. The thought made her sick to her stomach.

                “Alright everyone, Azkadellia is waiting for us to find her and Zero’s waiting for me to kill him,” Cain said with a clap of his hands. “Let’s get going!”

*************************************************************************************

                Zero didn’t visit the captive princess over the next 2 days. A guard brought food and water for her. It was only once a day and all it was a hunk of dried bread and a glass of water. It barely took the edge off her hunger and thirst, but she wasn’t going to beg for more.

                The 3rd day Zero came to see her. He held a metal chair with shackles attached to it. “Open the door,” he told the guard. He brought the chair in and set it down in the center of the cell, facing the recording device. Azkadellia had stood at his approach and pressed herself against the concrete wall. It was the furthest she could get from Zero. With an evil grin, he followed her and grabbed her arm in a crushing grip. She tried to pull away from him, but he was too strong. The princess was dragged to the metal chair and forced to sit in it. Her arms and legs were then secured in the shackles. The way her arms were bound forced her to bend her back causing her chest to be pushed up and forward. Having her ankles attached to the front legs of the chair left her thighs separated a few inches.

                There were quite a few of Zero’s men that had come down to watch the show. They were commenting about the princess’ exposed position and some were even rubbing their crotches. Azkadellia’s breasts were barely covered thanks to Zero ripping her nightdress open. They were heaving rapidly as her terror grew. Zero came behind her, placing a blindfold over her eyes and stuffing a gag in her mouth.

                “I’ll let you scream later but right now I want the people to enjoy the view without your voice being a distraction.” Zero then went over and picked up a mask that would hide his face. He wasn’t wearing a Longcoat uniform because the people wouldn’t respond well if they knew who he was. Bending down, Zero, ran his fingers up the inside of her thighs, stroking her panties. He whispered into Azkadellia’s ear. “It’s showtime, princess. Let’s give the people what they want, the sorceress to pay for her crimes.” With that, he signaled the recording device to be turned on and the broadcast to begin.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning Graphic Description of Violence and Rape

It had been 2 days since Az had been taken from her bedroom. DG was beside herself with worry. What was Zero doing to her? Had he already raped her? She knew he would, it wasn’t even a question in her mind. That’s one of the reasons he took her sister.

                They had been able to learn quite a bit from a few Longcoats the Cain’s questioned. DG didn’t want to know how they had gotten them to cooperate and she didn’t care. They had learned that there was a base that the Longcoats had used in the past. It was an old bunker in the woods. DG and her friends Wyatt Cain, his son Jeb, Glitch and Raw, knew they were getting close. They had stopped by a town in the general area to see if they could find out more information.

                The group was walking through the middle of town when they saw an image of Azkadellia, suddenly seeming to float in the air. It could be seen in any direction you looked at it from. She was restrained to a chair and was gagged and blindfolded. The front of her nightgown was torn open reviling quite a bit of skin. Behind her there stood a hooded man. Cain knew exactly who the man was, Zero. Horror at what would happen next filled their hearts. After a few minutes, probably to give time for everyone to get within viewing distance, Zero, began to speak.

                “I present to you the Sorceress!” he declared loudly. “The Queen has denied us justice for the wrongs she committed against us all. The Sorceress Azkadellia should pay with everything she has. The Royals insist that there was a witch inside her, controlling her. I don’t believe them! Even if there was a witch, the princess was a willing partner and is guilty of it all!”

                Bringing a knife into view, Zero, pressed it against the skin of her neck. He pushed it in until a large bead of blood was visible. “Let’s spill her blood the way she spilled ours.” The hooded man began to cut into Azkadellia’s exposed flesh. He never went too deep but by the princess’ movement, it clearly hurt. The madman pushed apart the front of her torn nightgown, exposing her breasts to everyone’s view. “What atrocities were done in her name to the innocent women of the OZ! She must pay!” Zero was getting louder and working himself into a frenzy. Reaching down her front he grabbed one of her breasts and squeezed hard. Using the other hand that held the knife, he drew a bloody line from the top of her collar bone, halfway down her stomach. This one bled more freely, staining her nightdress red.

                The princess’ entire body was shaking by this time. Tears soaked into the blindfold but were unable to fall. Her screams were swallowed by the horrible rag stuffed in her mouth. She could hardly breathe as her nose plugged from her sobbing. Azkadellia heard everything Zero had said and she wanted to scream out in her defense. She wasn’t a willing participant with the witch! She would never have hurt anyone! But her words were trapped just like she was. Her magic seemed to have failed her as once again she tried to summon it in her defense. Instead, she was at the mercy of a madman.

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                DG stood there in shock at what everyone was seeing. Zero was feeding the people’s anger and lust for retribution up to the point that they would cheer when he raped her sweet sister. She spun around looking for those that were upset by this display. Turning to the few that she found the princess begged for them to help her find her sister before it was too late.

                There was one woman that stepped forward willing to help. Shelly was a resistance fighter but knowing Wyatt and Jeb Cain believed in Azkadellia helped her overcome the anger she felt toward the older princess. Shelly told them about a Longcoat hideout half a day’s ride from them. Seeing how distraught the young princess DG was she grabbed her pack, climbed on a horse and led Azkadellia’s sister and friends to where she thought Az might be.

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                Queen Lavender and Ahamo stood on one of the palace balconies watching the horror that their daughter was going through. They didn’t want to watch it but were compelled by the thought that these may be Azkadellia’s last moments alive.

                Everyone within Central City could see Azkadellia’s torment. There was cheering in some parts of the city when the hooded man exposed her breasts. The cheers surged in volume as he began touching her body. Other parts of the city seemed to be in shock. They wanted to believe the queen that Azkadellia was innocent of the evil the witch committed. The masked man had brought their questions out into the open and they wondered what would happen next.

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                Zero’s hands continued to grope and cut Azkadellia’s delicate body. He had ripped her top all the way down to her belly button and had begun licking the blood off her body after cutting it. Her chest was moving in and out rapidly as the princess struggled to breathe. Finally, the lack of oxygen became too much, and she lost consciousness. Zero was taken aback by her body going limp. It wasn’t any fun if she wasn’t awake to enjoy it.

                Turning toward the recorder he said, “Maybe she needs somewhere more comfortable.” He began unshackling her from the chair. When the final cuff on her hand was released her body slid boneless out of the chair. Zero allowed her to fall onto the concrete floor. The sound of her head hitting it could be heard by all watching the projection. Grabbing the chair, the hooded man removed it from sight and angled the recorder at the mattress on the floor of the cell. He then returned to Azkadellia’s prone form and scooped her up in his arms. He carried her over to the mattress and dropped her.

                Zero was starting to worry about why she had passed out and why she wasn’t waking. Her chest was barely moving and was clearly having trouble breathing. He grabbed her head and pulled off the gag. When her mouth was free the princess took in a deep breath, finally able to get the oxygen she needed. With the gag off, Zero, couldn’t stop staring at her lips that he wanted to claim. He realized, as he pulled off the blindfold, that he had to see her eyes when he thrust into her body. The Longcoat had all but forgotten his audience in his excitement over the princess’ body.

                After slapping her face several times, Az finally started to come around. The man running the recorder zoomed in, so they could see her face. Her eyelids started to flutter revealing beautiful brown eyes. There was confusion in them until she saw Zero looming over her. Fear replaced confusion as she struggled to move her body, attempting to get away from him. She didn’t get far as he grabbed her ankle and pulled her back toward him.

                “No, no, princess. You can’t get away from me that easy. Don’t you know that the people of the OZ want to see the Sorceress punished? I have to follow the wants of the people and punish you for them.” Hiding behind the hood, Zero, dropped himself down on top of the princess, pinning her to the mattress.

                “Stop, I’m not the Sorceress! The witch was the sorceress and is dead,” Azkadellia cried out. Zero backhanded her causing her vision to dim.

                Running his hand up her leg and down to the junction of her thighs, Zero, pushed her nightdress up exposing Azkadellia’s body to the OZ. Grasping her panties, he ripped them off her. This time she wasn’t gagged, and the people of the OZ could hear her cry of pain.

                Zero was losing control of his lust for the woman underneath him. After ripping off her underwear he had wedged his leg in between the struggling woman’s thighs, forcing them open. She was doing her best to claw him with her nails and hit him with her fists. They didn’t seem to have any effect. After pulling his straining cock out of his pants Zero wasted no time thrusting into Azkadellia’s dry body. He kept thrusting and thrusting trying to get in as far as possible. He knew once she started to tear the blood would slicken it and make thrusting easier.

                “Noooo! stop, please!” The screams that he ripped from her as he took her body shocked everyone watching. Why wasn’t she using her magic? This wasn’t the sound the sorceress would have made. This was the sound of a tortured, violated young woman.

                As Zero built up a pace thrusting in and out of Az’s body, he could feel her blood start to coat his cock making it slide easier. He was lost in the feel of her. He had tasted this body before, but it was completely different now that the witch was gone leaving a terrified innocent young woman.

                Az could feel her insides tearing as he forced his way in and out. It burned so badly. It seemed worse than it had with the witch. Zero had always been careful to not cross the line with the Sorceress but now he was like a wild animal. His hands alternated between mauling her breasts and grabbing her hair to bare her throat to him. The madman nipped, sucked and licked at her throat as well as forcing her mouth open and thrusting his tongue inside. This went on for several minutes until he pulled his mouth off her and pulled her legs up as high as he could. Azkadellia felt him push into her even deeper than before. Zero sped up the pace of his thrusting into her body with brutal force.

                “Daddy! DG! Mother!” Azkadellia screamed in agony. Zero’s body went rigid as he spilled himself inside her.

                Pulling himself out of her and standing up, Zero, felt wonderful. He had marked her for the whole OZ to see. He turned and looked down at the bleeding woman on the bed. Seeing her like that especially seeing the blood made him want to take her all over again. He knew he had to share her with his men as promised though. Tucking his blood-stained member in his pants he walked out of the cell switching off the recorder. Signaling to his second in command that he was next, Zero, went up the stairs to get something to eat.

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                The people of the OZ were in shock. The people that hadn’t believe she was the innocent princess changed their minds as they heard her scream out for her parents and sister. Women openly wept for the princess. Some of the men were even weeping for her and her family.

                Lavender and Ahamo couldn’t stop crying. They clung to each other as they witnessed their daughter’s rape. Ahamo felt like his heart was ripped from his chest when she screamed for him in pain. He felt beyond helpless. He felt like he had failed her again.

 

                Azkadellia’s body felt like it was on fire after Zero had finished with her. She wanted to curl up in a ball as far away from the cell door as possible. Her eyes were closed, trying to shut out the horror of what she had endured. A feeling of danger made her open her eyes. Standing in front of her was a man that towered over her. He was Zero’s second in command and had to be well over 6 feet tall. The look that was on his face made Az’s blood run cold. It was a mixture of lust and rage and it was all directed at her.

                Reaching down, he grabbed the princess by her hair, pulling her to her feet. Without heals on she barely came up to his chin. Forcing Azkadellia back up against the wall, the brute began to grope her bare flesh. He was stronger, and his hands were larger than Zero’s and having him squeezing her breasts hurt worse. Az tried to push him away from her by pushing on his chest and trying to scratch him anywhere she could reach. Her nails caught him along the side of his face, enraging him. He grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her into the wall. The woman’s head crashed into the wall, causing her vision to fade in and out. As Azkadellia struggled to stay conscious, her legs were spread, and her body pushed up the wall. She could feel the monster of a man’s cock at the battered folds between her legs. In one brutal thrust, he was able to bury his cock all the way inside her, hitting her back wall. Her blood and Zero’s semen had lubricated her channel and he began thrusting into her body at a brutal pace. Az hadn’t thought anything could hurt worse than when Zero raped her, but this was so much worse. His cock was so much bigger in girth as well as the length and with her being upright against the wall he was in so much deeper. It felt like she had been impaled on his cock. The pain was excruciating, and her vision went in and out as she fought to stay conscious.

                He finally began to thrust wildly, slamming her back against the wall brutally before emptying his cum inside her. When he was finished, Zero’s second, threw her limp body onto the mattress. His lust had been sated, for the moment but his rage was still burning. He began to kick the princess over and over in her stomach and back. Azkadellia curled into a ball, trying to cover her head with her arms as she struggled to protect herself. The blows continued long after the princess had lost consciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning Graphic Descriptions of Violence and Rape

Shelly led DG and her friends deeper into the woods as they searched for the Longcoat hideout. If they had taken the main road they would have made much better time, but Cain was certain the road would be watched. They had been riding practically all day trying to save Az from Zero. About an hour previous they had to leave their horses because the trees were packed too close together. It was taking so much longer than they had thought.

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The pain never seemed to stop. When Azkadellia regained consciousness, she was not alone. She was again blindfolded but could tell that there were at least two others in the cell with her. Her body was tied down, spread out wide on the mattress with her legs stretched as wide open as they could be. There was a man on top of her with his penis deep inside of her. When he realized she was awake, he started thrusting in harder. Az could feel his penis grow harder as he became more aroused now that she was conscious. Her body jerked back and forth with the power of his thrusts. Finally, his body went rigid as he filled her with his seed. After he climbed off her the mattress dipped by her head. She could feel something brushing up against the side of her face. A strong hand grabbed her by the jaw turning her head towards the person. Az felt something soft up against her lips trying to push into her mouth. The princess knew right away that someone was trying to push their cock into her mouth. She clenched her jaw tight, refusing to allow entry. For a minute the cock was rubbed along her teeth and lips. The smell of it made Az want to vomit. Suddenly the hand gripping her jaw dug his fingers into the side of face forcing her jaw to open. The cock pushed into her mouth as far as it could. The young woman struggled to breathe as it was forced into her throat. She gagged and choked trying to breathe when it was pulled most of the way out.

“Look at the great Sorceress now! All she’s good for is a hole to stick my cock into.” The voice along with several others laughed at his comment. “Let’s see how much she can take!” His cock plunged deep into her mouth and into her throat again. This time he continued to thrust in and out, forcing himself deeper with every thrust. Occasionally he would withdraw enough for her to catch a breath but would then plunge back in. The pace grew faster, and the force of the thrusts grew harder. Suddenly when his cock was as far down her throat as it could get a hot load of cum shot out choking her. He thrust several more times before withdrawing and forcing her to swallow.

Azkadellia had never given a blow job. The sorceress would never kneel before any man. When the thick load of disgusting liquid was forced into her throat, she was sure she would vomit. It was a choice of swallow or suffocate and unfortunately, self-preservation kicked in forcing her to swallow it.

When he was sure she had swallowed all his cum, the unknown man backed off the mattress. His turn with the princess was over. He hoped to have another go at her later. Moving toward the hallway, he overheard some of the other men talking about ways to rape and torture the former sorceress. Spying a discarded broom leaning against the wall, he grabbed it and broke it across his knee. Going back over to the waiting men, he held the broken handle out saying, “Give this a shot. Stick it up inside the Bitch!” The closest man grabbed the piece of the broken boom with a wide grin on his face. “Get ready to hear her scream!” He was next in line with Azkadellia and was looking forward to it.

Azkadellia could hear men talking some distance from her. She couldn’t make out what they were saying but she knew it couldn’t be good. When the end of the mattress dipped down, she knew there was a lot more pain coming. She could feel him moving around on the mattress and heard the distinct sound of a zipper. Az started to twist and turn, struggling in vain to pull her legs free, but she was tied too tight. Something brushed against the lips of her passage and she tensed in fear. Suddenly it was deep inside her, deeper than either Zero or his second in command. It didn’t feel like a man’s penis, it was more ridged. In was pushed in and out of her several times before being withdrawn. Instead of thrusting it inside again, the princess felt pressure against her little hole in the back. Nothing had ever been inserted inside her anus before and she was terrified. It pushed harder against her hole and began to slide in. The man moved it inside just a little bit and wiggled it around. Speaking for the first time he told her, “Get ready cuz this is gonna hurt!” In one thrust he forced the broom handle a good 6 inches inside her body. Her entire body arched up off the mattress as an agonized scream filled the cell. It didn’t stay still for long and he pulled it almost out before forcing it back in.

He had been stroking himself while he raped the young woman with the handle. When he noticed blood covering it, his cock got harder. He turned it around to the broken end and forced it in her anus as far as he could and then rammed his cock inside her already brutalized passage. Azkadellia’s mind and body seemed like they were on fire. She had a man’s cock inside her vagina and a rod of some kind forced deep inside her bowel. She felt her insides begin to tear before she finally lost consciousness.

When she regained consciousness next she felt like she was choking. Another cock was in her mouth and far down her throat while a man thrust inside her brutalized body. When they were done another man quickly took their place. He reached up and pulled the blindfold off her eyes. “I want to see the look in your eyes when you realize what I’m going to do to you.” The pain seemed to be a constant thing. Az couldn’t imagine it getting worse, but she was wrong. He held up a shotgun for her to see. It had a double barrel, and both barrels seemed huge to her. Where was he going to stick that? She didn’t have long to wait as he pushed it inside her vagina but instead of sticking with one hole, he went back and forth at random, so she never knew where it was going to be thrust into next.  Once again unconsciousness claimed her, and she was grateful for it.

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They were approaching the compound. It was still out of sight, but they knew it was close. DG’s magic had been screaming at her the closer they got. She knew that her sister was near and in pain. She had to find her! Unfortunately, DG wasn’t paying attention to what was happening around her until she felt someone grab her from behind. Before she could scream DG felt a gun pressed painfully into her side.

                “Look at what I found! Now I can taste two princesses instead of just one.” DG’s breath caught in her throat as she realized that Zero was the one pressing the gun into her side. Suddenly he pulled the gun away from her side and slammed it into her head. She went out like a light.

                Wyatt Cain was equal parts furious and frightened when he realized DG was missing. He knew she was upset and scared about finding her sister. However, he hadn’t realized that her concern had become a dangerous distraction for her.

                Jeb grabbed his arm, pointing toward the clearing in front of the Longcoat hideout. Cain saw Zero dragging an unconscious DG into the bunker. He swore in anger as a feeling of dread filled him. His companions were just as worried as he was except for Raw. The look they saw reflected in his face was one of intense pain. Looking at Cain with tear filled eyes he said, “Askadee in so much pain, giving up. We must hurry. Az not survive if we don’t help.” Cain and his companions tried to make their way into the Longcoat bunker but were spotted. The gunfight that resulted turned into a stalemate. They couldn’t move. They were pinned down on the edge of the clearing. Raw became more and more agitated as the feelings and pain from inside crashed over him.

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                When DG woke, she was confused, and her head throbbed in pain. Opening her eyes, everything came rushing back to her. She looked around at where she was at. She was locked in a cell with bars across the front.  Across the hall, DG could see another cell. She couldn’t see into it very well, but she could hear what was going on. It was the sound of a man grunting while having sex. She could barely hear anything from the woman. Her magic suddenly sprung to life and she knew it was Az that the man was grunting over. DG started to scream for him to get off her and leave her alone. He ignored her and finished inside the princess Azkadellia’s limp body. Pulling his pants up, he left the cell and came to stand in front of DG’s.

                “Your sister is an amazing fuck though not as tight after all our fun. She wasn’t as lively for me as she was with Zero and the other men though. You should have heard her screams. Maybe he will let me fuck you too! You look like you would be a wild ride.” The disgusting man left and went up the stairs. DG wanted to throw up. They had raped Az! It wasn’t just Zero that had done it. She never even considered Zero letting his men rape her sister. Now she had gotten herself captured because of being distracted. Instead of saving her sister, DG was going to share the same fate.

                DG didn’t have much time to worry about her future before she heard people on the stairs. Zero came and stood in front of her cell. “I understand you want to see your sister,” he said with a grin on his face. “Who am I to keep sisters apart.” Opening the cell door, he grabbed DGs arm in a painful grip and drug her over to the cell with Az in it. “Here you go, princess. I don’t think she's up for much talking though. I wonder if she would object to me taking you. I prefer a mattress, so you can be beside your sister as I fuck you. A shared experience for you both.” He shoved her in, making DG lose her balance and fall on the floor. Locking the cage behind her he said, “I will be back to play with both of you soon.” With that, he went upstairs leaving the two princesses alone.

                DG rushed to Az’s side sobbing in despair at her sister’s condition. There was blood all over her. The nightdress she had been wearing was shredded and thrown to the side. There were cuts and bite marks all over her, but the majority were on her breasts. Her arms and legs were covered in bruises. The worst bruising was on her thighs and hips. You could see actual handprints in the bruises. The mattress beneath her was covered in blood. There wasn’t anything in the cell to cover her with so DG pulled off her leather coat trying to cover Az.

                Softly stroking her sister’s face DG began to softly sing a song from their childhood. Az seemed to respond to her voice and began to stir.

                All Az knew was that she hurt worse than she had thought possible. The pain radiated mostly from between her legs and her lower abdomen. Flashes of men leaning over her and the feel of them thrusting into her caused her to cry out. Her hand was suddenly grabbed, and she fought to get free. Azkadellia’s struggles slowed as she recognized the feel of her sister’s magic. She slowly opened her eyes to see her beloved sister leaning over her. As she took in the environment around them terror filled her. Zero would hurt DG! Zero would rape DG, she knew it! She had to get her baby sister out of there.

                The hurting princess tried to sit up but quickly found out that the pain spiked when she tried. DG was able to help prop her up some by getting behind her. This new position gave Azkadellia a view of the damage inflicted on her body. She broke down and began to sob at what she saw. The evidence of their cruelty was written across her flesh. How could she ever escape from it? Az’s head snapped up at the sound of someone coming down the stairs. She knew by the sound of his steps that it was Zero. She had to protect DG, but she couldn’t even move, and her magic had failed her.

                DG heard someone coming down the stairs and saw Zero come into view. She tried to hold Az tighter as if she could somehow protect her. The look on Zero’s face was one of amusement.

                “Look at you two, right now I bet you would die for each other, but first I think I’d like a comparison, sister to sister,” he mocked. He opened the cell door along with a second man and entered. Zero reached down and pulled Az away from DG. The other man grabbed DG’s arm, pulling her out of reach of her sister.

                Looking over Az’s body, he was impressed at his men’s creativity in torturing her. In the hall, he had seen several items that had the princess’ blood covering them. Considering the amount of blood and where it was coming from, Princess Azkadellia had had many painful things forced inside her vagina and anus. In addition, to at least a dozen of his men having had their cocks inside her.

                Zero decided he wanted to be the first and the last to rape her before she died from her injuries. Straddling Az’s legs, he began drawing patterns on her stomach and breasts with her blood. When he was tired of that he stuck his finger in his mouth, sucking her blood off.

                “Delicious!” Forcing her legs apart, Zero, pulled out his cock, positioning it at her vaginal opening. He rubbed the tip up and down along her slit covering himself in her blood. He pushed just the head of his penis inside and stopped. Looking at DG, he said, “Get ready, when I’m done with her I’m going to want some action with her sister.” DG looked like she was going to throw up. He was inside Az and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

                With one brutal thrust, Zero, buried himself as deep as possible. A scream of pain was ripped from Azkadellia at the assault. She continued to cry and moan as he forced his way in and out of her body. Her body moved back and forth with each thrust like she was a rag doll. Turning her head, the older princess looked at her little sister. DG’s eyes locked with hers, grounding Az, helping her to hold on. Zero sped up as he approached his release, pounding into her as hard as he could. At last, he thrust into her filling her with his fluids. He stayed buried inside her while he caught his breath. Pulling out of the limp woman, he watched as a mixture of his milky fluid and her blood oozed out of her. Just seeing it was enough to get him thinking about fucking sweet Princess DG. Maybe he’d let her live and force her to carry his child.

                He had gotten Azkadellia pregnant several years back. It had aroused him watching her belly swell knowing he had put it inside her. Then a month or so before she would deliver the Sorceress told him to cut it out. She wanted him to use a knife, shove it up inside her vagina and twist it around. Blood flowed down over his hand as he thrust the knife in deep.  He continued until the Sorceress told him to stop. She had him wait as she lay on the bed bleeding. He could see her straining to push it out of her body. Finally, the baby’s limp form slipped out of her body, onto the bed. A small cry came from the tiny thing. The sorceress reached down, picking up her child. He could see it was a little girl. Azkadellia held the baby up in front of her for a few moments. Her hands shifted suddenly and Zero heard a small crack. Dropping the lifeless baby to the bed, she told him to dispose of it.

                He thought of DG’s body swelling as her sisters had. Zero decided he wouldn’t share the younger princess. He would fuck her until she bore him a son or died trying. Climbing off the limp form of Azkadellia, he moved over to where DG was being restrained. Grabbing her arms roughly, he pulled her to a standing position, capturing her mouth in a brutal kiss. Finally letting go of her mouth he pulled her over to the mattress, throwing the girl down beside her sister. Zero motioned for the other man to hold on to the older woman. Pulling a knife out, the man pressed it to Azkadellia’s side.

                Looking at DG, Zero, told her, “I’m going to give you a choice. Do you see the knife that my companion has against your sister? He’s going to push it into her very slowly. Do you see how long that knife is? It’s going to cut her in half. Do you want him to do that?”

                Tears were streaming down DG’s face as she looked over at Az and then at the knife against her side. “What do you want,” she asked? A predatory look spread across his face. “I want you to take your clothes off for me.” Fear and disgust were both written across DG’s face when she looked at him. Suddenly she heard Az cry out as the knife was pushed into her side a little.

                “Okay, okay, just leave her alone!” The frightened girl slowly reached up to the top button on her shirt. Slowly she unbuttoned it and let it fall open. Moving on to the next one she undid it just as slowly. Her head whipped up as she heard Az cry in pain. DG got the message and hurried, finishing unbuttoning her shirt. At Zero’s gesture, she pulled it off her shoulders. She was thankful that she was wearing a tank top underneath.

                Zero was starting to get agitated at her slow pace. He was beginning to get hard again and wanted to feel her under him now. Grabbing her suddenly he forced the young princess onto her back. Taking his knife, he began to cut her tank top and bra off her. It was over in a matter of seconds. DG lay before him naked from the waist up. She was trying to cover her breasts with her arms but Zero just grabbed her wrists and jerked them up above her head. Her wrists were so small that he could hold them down with only one hand. The other hand started to fondle the young girls’ breasts. Silent tears slipped down her cheeks into her hair. Getting impatient he moved his hand down to the button on her jeans, undoing it. The zipper quickly followed and using both hands he grabbed the sides of DG’s pants and panties pulling them down her legs and off. Before DG could even process what was going on Zero had his hand at the entrance to her vagina.

                A gasp mixed with a sob came from DG as she felt him pushed a finger inside her body. Soon he had added a second followed by a third. DG was now openly sobbing. When Zero forced his entire hand inside DG’s petite body, her sobbing changed to screaming. Azkadellia was sobbing along with her sister. She felt helpless to protect her just like she did when the witch killed her. To Az’s surprise, she began to feel a tingling from her magic.

                He managed to get his entire fist up to his wrist, into her writhing body. Zero thrust it in and out pushing into her as deep as possible. Finally, he withdrew it from inside DG’s vagina. He wiped the blood from his hand onto her thigh before moving up to straddle her struggling body. The cry of terror DG made when Zero forced her legs apart triggered a spark of magic in Az. She fed that spark with love for DG and anger for what Zero was doing. The princess suddenly felt a surge of strength that she didn’t know was there. It seemed to explode from deep inside her. A scream seemed to rip out of her very soul. The sound pierced the entire building and carried out into the forest. The scream was filled with magical rage. The man restraining Azkadellia let go of her as if he were burned. Reaching out, she touched Zero’s arm. He immediately began screaming in pain. A wave of magic pushed the two men away from the princesses just before they burst into flames. The flames were so hot that their bones burned black. Neither Az or DG could feel the heat pouring off the burning bodies though. Azkadellia gathered her little sister into her arms, rocking her like she would a child.

                “It will be okay, he will never touch you again,” Az murmured into DG’s ear as she rocked her back and forth.

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                Wyatt Cain, Jeb Cain, Glitch and Raw had been trapped in the stalemate with Zero’s men for a couple of hours. The suns had set, and Cain was trying to come up with a way to use it to their advantage. Suddenly, a scream like nothing anyone had ever heard ripped across the clearing. The gunshots stopped at the sound. Then Longcoats began to scream. Several of the men outside were screaming as they spontaneously burst into flames. The other men ran in fear, leaving the bunker unprotected.

                Raw moved first, running toward the building. The others quickly followed. Inside on they found three more charred bodies. Raw didn’t hesitate and went straight to the stairs and down into the basement. There was one cell that was occupied. Inside there were two more charred bodies and the two princesses. Azkadellia was cradling DG in her arms, singing softly and rocking her. She was completely naked, covered in blood, bruises and bite marks. Cain was shocked at the amount of blood he saw. DG lay there naked as well with her head buried in her sister’s arms. Her body was beginning to show an assortment of bruises. Cain also spotted blood on DG’s thighs, but he pushed that knowledge away for later.

                Only Wyatt Cain and Raw entered the cell, moving slowly. Cain knew that the scream had somehow come from Azkadellia. He couldn’t understand why she hadn’t used her magic to protect herself sooner. As they approached, Az clenched DG tighter. Cain and Raw could feel magic radiating off her, forming a protective barrier. Raw spoke softly to her, so soft that Cain couldn’t understand what was said. The magic holding the barrier faded until it disappeared. He could see the toll that it had taken from Az on her face.

                Raw gently touched DG’s foot to alert her of his presence. Her response was to jerk her leg away and to curl into a ball beside her sister. The seer was concerned for DG but knew it was Az that was in danger. She looked like she could fall over at any minute and her face had gone bluish grey. Her body began to slump to the side against DG. That was enough to bring DG out of shock.

                “Az are you okay?” Her sister didn’t respond and continued to slump further to the side. DG then realized the Az was unconscious. She was torn between her fear of others and her need to get Az help. Making her decision the young princess motioned Raw over.

                The seer was very gentle as he placed his hand over Az’s lower abdomen. Concern was written all over his face as he concentrated on finding the cause of her bleeding. She was bleeding to death and he didn’t know if he could stop it.

                “DG, Az hurt bad, bleeding inside.” Tears streamed down the young woman’s face. “Need your help, your light, I’m not strong enough.” Reaching out Raw took DG’s hand and placed it on Azkadellia’s lower abdomen. He placed his hand over hers. “See where the damage is.” Closing her eyes, she let Raw guide her. Upon seeing the extent of the damage inside her sister DG began to cry.

                “No, look and heal not feel. Can’t help if not focused.” Raw guided her mind to the areas in Az’s vaginal canal and uterus that were torn extensively and bleeding heavily. Together they pictured what it should look like. DG was amazed as the tissues began to come back together. Raw stopped her when the area no longer posed an immediate hazard to her life even though it wasn’t fully healed and still bled. They moved over to the damage in her colon, rectum and lower intestine. The wall between her vagina and colon had been torn and parts of her bowl were bleeding heavily. It took Raw and DG every bit of strength they had to heal just the life-threatening injuries there as well.

                DG and Raw collapsed in exhaustion beside Azkadellia. It took DG a minute to remember that she was naked and exposed to 4 men. Cain realized the problem and quickly grabbed her pants and outer shirt. All of them turned their backs to give her some privacy as she dressed. DG cleared her throat to tell them she was finished. Cain took off his duster and with DG’s help put it on Az. Scooping her up in his arms he motioned to the others to go and he followed taking the princess out of the cell. Glitch helped support DG as she climbed the stairs and Jeb helped Raw. The two of them were so exhausted from healing Az and DG was in pain.

                Shelly, their guide and former resistance fighter was waiting for them at the door to the outside. “They’re all gone, all except the ones that burned. I wonder why only a few burned.” Glitch piped up telling her that there were 5 more burnt bodies inside.

                “Those were the men that hurt Az. They took turns.’ DG’s voice was barely more than a whisper as she shared some of the horrors Az had endured. No one said anything after that.

                They grabbed horses for the trip back toward the town. Jeb held Az while his father mounted his horse. Carefully he passed her up into the waiting arms.              Wrapping his arms around the unconscious woman’s body Cain positioned her as comfortable as possible.

                DG mounted her horse and had to bite back a cry of pain. The pain was mostly from Zero forcing his hand deep inside her. She hadn’t told anyone about him raping her though. Az’s magic let loose, and he was pushed off her body. Thankfully she hadn’t been a virgin, or it would have been so much worse. She knew he had torn her pretty bad but didn’t want to think about it. As her horse began to walk she had to take deep breaths through her nose to try to push past the pain. When they increased to a gallop to get to the small town faster, she couldn’t hold back the tears. The young princess wouldn’t allow herself to make a sound though. She didn’t want them to know what Zero had done.

                Cain cradled Azkadellia’s limp body close. He had failed in protecting her from Zero. He’d be damned if he let her down again. Wyatt Cain was also worried about the younger princess DG. He knew she was putting on a brave face, but she couldn’t hide that she was in pain from what Zero had done. The tin man remembered his first view of DG and Azkadellia when he saw them in the cell, on the mattress. They were both naked. Azkadellia was covered in blood and bruises. DG’s skin was bruised and there had been blood on the inside of her thighs. Trying to push the images away, Cain decided to make sure both princesses were checked out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rape aftermath and recovery

They rode for several hours toward a cabin Shelly told them about. She said they would be safe resting there while she went the rest of the way into town for help. Jeb had been feeling helpless, so he volunteered to go with her. He had seen Princess Azkadellia’s condition and understood what kind of help she needed. As Jeb and Shelly rode side by side, they discussed things they would need to get from the town.

                “Do you know if someone has a truck or at least a wagon?” Shelly nodded, “I know just who to ask.” Thinking for a minute she said, “We’re going to need a midwife. The town doctor is a man and doesn’t work with this type of injury. The midwife is the one with the medical knowledge that can help.” Jeb agreed, adding that they were going to need blankets and clothing for the princess.

                Shelly spoke up saying what had been on her mind the whole ride. ‘We don’t know what Zero showed the people. What if they are against her?”

                Jeb’s face grew hard. “No one will touch Azkadellia or DG. My father and I will kill anyone that threatened either of them.” It was obvious to Shelly that they were all deeply loyal and protective of the princesses. She was beginning to feel protective of them herself. Knowing that Princess Azkadellia had used her magic to protect her sister and not herself humbled the girl. From the amount of burned bodies, at least a dozen men had raped her. If they hadn’t arrived when they did, the damage caused by those men’s multiple attacks, she would have died. Shelly had also noticed how much riding a horse hurt Princess DG. The princess hadn’t said anything about what had happened to her, but the resistance fighter had seen too many women raped to not recognize the signs. She would make sure to let the midwife know of her concerns.

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                Before Jeb and Shelly left, he helped his father get Azkadellia down from the horse. He was concerned about how pale her face was. As the older Cain was about to climb down from his horse, he noticed the amount of Az’s blood staining his lap. His level of worry increased, feeling helpless to stop the bleeding. Carefully taking the injured woman from Jeb, he headed into the house.

                Inside there were three rooms, the main room, and two bedrooms. Shelly quickly chose the room with the bigger bed. She knew the princesses would want to stay close. After locating several blankets, she covered the bed with one and set the other one down to cover the princess with. Cain came in carrying Azkadellia and lay her gently on the bed. Looking around Cain realized that he didn’t see DG. Hurrying back outside he realized she was still on her horse. Her face was wet with tears and was holding her body ridged. Walking over, he placed his hand softly on her leg, letting her know he was there.

                “Can you get off your horse?” Cain’s question was quiet, for DG’s ears only. Shaking her head, no, he reached up and carefully pulled her off the horse. DG bit her lip to keep her cries quiet. The tin man didn’t put her down, instead carried her into the house and laid her down beside Az. He covered both women with the blanket and moved just outside the room to keep watch over them.

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                It was close to morning when Jeb, Shelly and the town midwife, Mary, bounced along in the truck as they took a dirt road to the secluded cabin. They had tried to give the midwife an idea of what to expect without going into too much detail. These were the princesses and they wanted to respect their privacy as much as possible. They didn’t need to say that Princess Azkadellia had been raped. She had been raped in front of the entire OZ. Both Jeb and Shelly were sickened to hear what Zero had broadcast. He had swayed some of the people to his side about punishing the princess but the brutal rape and Azkadellia crying out for her parents and sister forced people to see the princess for who she truly was. A frightened child that had been trapped in her own body, controlled by a witch.

                They had collected supplies like food, clean clothing for the princesses and more blankets while the midwife went to visit the town doctor. She was very concerned about the amount of blood the princess had lost. She also needed additional sterile medical supplies. Mary knew that Princess Azkadellia would need ongoing medical care on her trip home and didn’t want to risk running out.

                “Robert, I need your help,” Mary called to the doctor. He came out of the back room to see what his friend Mary needed. In a small town like this one, having the doctor and the midwife working together had been a blessing to all.

                “I need you to trust me on something,” His face was confused but he nodded his head. I need antibiotics, a few suture kits, gauze dressings with tape and blood. I also need something that would clean bites to the skin.”

                “Mary, what is going on? This patient you are getting supplies for should be brought here. If this person needs all these supplies, I should be helping care for them.” Robert knew that there were medical situations that the midwife was better suited for, but he was concerned that this patient would require more then she could provide.

                “Robert, I know you would be a great asset in this case, but my hands are tied. This is a very delicate situation, but it is also very urgent. Please, can I get the supplies?” The doctor was still concerned but would never deny help. “Alright Mary, I’ll get the supplies needed for the blood infusion as well as a disinfectant that I feel would work on bites. If these bites are human in origin, be extra cautious. Infection can take hold quickly.” Nodding her thanks, Mary went and got the supplies he told her to.

                As they were packing everything up for the trip Robert asked, “Mary, does this have to do with the princess? I know that is a touchy subject for most.” When she didn’t reply, he knew he was correct. “The broadcast of her being assaulted was horrible! Though it did have positive things come from it. I have been able to put aside my anger at her and put the blame where it should be, the Sorceress. A lot of townsfolk have said the same. The supplies you need, speak to her condition.” The concern in his voice seemed to increase as he spoke. “If you need anything more, send someone with a list and I will provide them, no questions asked.”

                “Thank you, my friend, I will.” With that, she left the doctor’s office to meet Jeb and Shelly.

                Jeb tried to explain what he knew of Raw and DG’s healing on the princess. He didn’t really understand it himself. Somehow, they had repaired enough inside her that she wouldn’t die. He had seen the amount of blood on his father’s lap and how it had soaked the duster she wore. The mattress they found the princesses on was covered in her blood. Jeb knew how much blood can be lost before it’s too late when he was in the resistance. Azkadellia was very close to that point.

                Arriving at the cabin, Jeb made sure to be the first one through the door. His father is very protective of the two women and anyone else entering first might not end well. His dad and Glitch were in the front room, but Cain’s chair was right beside the door where the princesses slept. Raw was in the second room resting trying to recover his strength.

                When Cain realized that the midwife was there, he went into the room where DG and Az were. He carefully woke DG helping her to a chair by the room’s fireplace. The midwife and Shelly came into the room sending the men out. After introductions were made, the difficult questions would soon begin.

               

 

 

 

Going to the side of the bed that Azkadellia was on, the midwife began gently looking her over. Her first concern was that the princess’ condition was stable. The blood covering her spoke volumes as to her condition, but it was also making finding its source difficult. She sent Shelly out to get water and rags to clean some of the blood off. While Mary waited, she put an I.V. into Azkadellia’s arm and got the lifesaving blood flowing into her body.

                With the warm water and rags, Mary and Shelly gently washed the blood off her body. Shelly focused on things like her face arms and legs, while Mary began cleaning and examining the princess’ damaged breasts and then her upper thighs and the damage between. DG had wanted to help but the midwife wouldn’t allow it. Mary could see the pain written all over the young princess’ face. She knew there were two princesses’ that needed her help.

                The bites on Az’s breasts thankfully weren’t deep enough to need stitches. The cut to her side inflicted to get DG to take her clothes off, did needed stitches. With the bites and cuts cleaned and bandaged, it was time to work on the damage she had seen on and in the young woman’s genital area. Mary stitched up tears that were still bleeding freely. There was a long tear between the vaginal and rectal opening. After stitching what she could Mary carefully washed the entire area with disinfectant.

                When she was done treating Az, they replaced the bloody bedding and put on a clean nightgown. Mary had put a cloth between her legs to absorb any blood that came out. She also added saline, pain medicine and antibiotics to the I.V. going into Az. With all of that done, it was time to turn her attention to the younger princess. Thanking Shelly, she asked her to go out, so she could speak to DG.

                “Princess DG, I need to make sure you’re okay. I need to see where you are hurt.” Mary spoke in a gentle maternal voice meant to calm the princess. Instead, DG became upset saying she was fine, and that Az was the one that needed her attention. “Your sister was hurt very badly and needed my help but she’s okay now. I’m not going anywhere and will continue to care for her.” Deciding to change tactics, “When she wakes, do you think she is going to focus on her condition or yours? She knows you were hurt and will need to know that you have been taken care of too.” Tears slid down the princess’ face, but she nodded in acceptance.

                “Can you tell me what happened?” the midwife said softly as she cleared a place for DG to lay on the bed to be examined. DG didn’t answer right away standing across the room. Her arms were wrapped around herself and she was shivering. Mary recognized the signs of shock immediately. Hurrying over she helped the princess sit down on a nearby chair. She knelt in front of DG and tried to help her calm down.

                “Is there something I can do to help calm you. We need to get you taken care of. I understand this whole thing has been horrible and it seems like it won’t end. Getting your injuries taken care of will help. I promise to be as gentle as possible.” The princess still wasn’t responding. Thinking back Mary realized that DG’s shocked state began right after she had asked what had happened. That had to have been the trigger.

                “You don’t need to tell me everything that happened. I will only ask a question if I need to but no more. Okay?” DG slightly nodded. She slowly stood, pain written across her face, looking to the midwife for instructions.

                “Are there any injuries above your waist that I need to look at?” DG knew she was referring to Az’s cuts and bite marks. Silently she shook her head no. “Alright, that’s good. DG, I need you to remove your clothes below the waist.” Tears began to flow down her cheeks, but she complied. Mary then guided her trembling body over to the bed, laying her down on her back.

                Very gently the older woman placed her hand on DG’s knees indicating that they needed to be opened. DG opened her legs allowing them to be guided into the easiest position for the exam. There was dried blood on the inside of her thighs and a lot more the further up Mary looked. Her vaginal opening was covered in dried crusted blood but was still oozing fresh blood as well.

                “I’m going to tell you everything I’m going to do so you aren’t surprised.” There was no answer, so she continued. “First I’m going to place this wet cloth on you. It’s will soften the blood making cleaning it off easier.” She let it the cloth sit for a few minutes while she hummed a soothing song. “Alright, that should be long enough. I’m going to try to be careful to not hurt you while I do this. I need you to tell me when it hurts.” The young woman hissed a few times in pain during the exam but said nothing. “Okay, I’m done with that. I need to ask you a few questions to help me treat your injuries.” When DG nodded she went ahead. “It looks like there is some tearing on the outside and some on the inside. Can you tell me what was used to cause this?” DG softy replied that he had used his hand. “Okay,” Mary told her, “You’re doing great. Can I assume from what I’m seeing that it was forced in deep?” A nod was the response. “I’m going to touch you and shine a flashlight to look inside, okay?” Looking at her patient she again received a nod of the head. After examining the princess for a few minutes, she looked up and said, “Thankfully the tears and scratches deeper inside won’t require stitches, but I will need to put some stitches in closer to the outside.  I’m going to inject some numbing medicine before I begin.”

                After injecting the pain medicine, they needed to wait a few minutes for it to kick in. While they waited Mary asked, “were you penetrated by anything other than a hand?” A nod. “Was it his penis?” She received a sobbing nod this time. “Was he able to finish inside you?” For the first time since they began, DG looked at her and spoke. “I don’t know. He was still inside me when Az killed him. Please don’t tell anyone that he was in me. I don’t want Az to blame herself for that too.” The midwife understood and admired this young woman. She was trying to protect her sister. Even after being raped, her focus was on the wellbeing of her older sister.

                After the stitches were complete, DG was given some oral antibiotics to help prevent infection as well as some pain medicine. After changing into a soft clean nightgown, the young princess climbed into the bed beside her sister and quickly fell into an exhausted sleep.

                Once she was asleep, Mary went out to the front room, closing the door quietly behind her. “They are both sleeping.” Cain stood up intending to go in, but she put up her hand saying they needed rest. Looking down at the woman Cain said, “I am their personal guard and have to see for myself that they are okay. I won’t disturb them.” Nodding her acceptance, Cain slipped in the room to check on the women. It didn’t take him long to return though.

                Looking at the midwife, Cain said, “Thank you for helping them. Do you think they will be okay?”

                Mary gave a small nod accepting his thanks. “In time I believe they will be. Healing from physical injuries is often easier than from the emotional ones. They are both strong women and have people that love them. That and time will help them heal.”

                The room was quiet for a while everyone was lost in their own thoughts. The suns would be rising in a few hours. Exhaustion from the events of the past several days was weighing everyone down. Cain told everyone to get some rest. He was planning on staying awake beside the girl’s door for the rest of the night.

                “Father, I know you blame yourself and don’t want it to happen again. How are you going to keep them safe if you are exhausted?” The older man couldn’t argue with his son’s logic, so he didn’t reply. “I blame myself as well,” Jeb told his father. “I was supposed to be protecting them as well. Az was taken from a place that should have been safe. She was just starting to come out of her shell. We both failed them. I want to share the responsibility for guarding them. You can take the first shift because I’m sure you couldn’t sleep right now even if you wanted to. Wake me when the 1st sun rises. That way you can get some rest. I promise the only one that will enter this room is Mary, the midwife.”

                The older Cain was proud of his son, agreeing to take shifts guarding them. Jeb was right about not being able to sleep. His hearing was exceptional and even through the door, had heard DG say what Zero had done to her. If only he had killed him instead of putting him in the iron suit. Both Azkadellia and DG had been raped by that monster. Cain felt being burned alive was a fitting end to one so evil.

                With the rise of the 1st sun, Cain woke Jeb like promised. Knowing that his son was watching over the princesses, he was able to sleep. He woke to screaming, Azkadellia, screaming. Jumping up, gun in hand, the tin man burst into the girl’s room. The older princess had finally woken but was trapped in the nightmare from the bunker. DG was trying to calm her, but it didn’t seem to do any good. Seeing there wasn’t any danger was, on one hand, a relief, but the terror in the young princess’ voice was breaking his heart.

                Mary pushed past him in her haste to get to her patient. She had suspected something like this would happen. She had prepared a syringe with medicine to calm the girl. Mary was hoping to not need to sedate her. Gently pushing DG out of her way, she reached for Azkadellia’s arm. Upon contact with the princess, she felt a painful shock course through her body. Knowing that the princess had magic, Mary had been expecting this too. Gritting her teeth against the pain she clutched Az’s arm, plunging the contents of the syringe in. The midwife quickly withdrew from her patient, giving the medicine time to work.

                DG was trying everything she could think of to calm her sister. When the midwife pushed her out of the way, she was concerned that Az’s magic would hurt the older woman. The princess underestimated her desire to help Az and how tough she was. It took a few minutes, but the princess’ screams died down to whimpering. In between whimpering and crying, she begged for them to stop. Her mind was trapped in the hell Zero had forced her into. DG was finally able to take ahold of her sister, rocking and whispering softly. After a few minutes, Azkadellia’s eyes slipped closed and her body relaxed.

                Everyone that had witnessed the princess’ terror was in tears. Even the tough Cain men’s eyes were wet. She had sounded like a child begging for the men hurting her to stop. Knowing that there wasn’t any danger everyone filed out except for DG, the midwife and Raw. DG and Raw spoke softly while Mary checked Az’s vitals.

                “Raw, I don’t know how to help her. When I touch her mind, I see the faces of men leering over her and I can feel the pain she experienced. It’s very difficult to even touch her, it’s so vivid.” Nodding his head Raw replied, “Hard for me too, hurts to see, hurts to feel.”

                Raw placed his hand on Azkadellia’s forehead and winced. Realizing that the princess had retreated into the labyrinth of her mind, he didn’t remove his hand, instead tried to look and find where the princess was hiding in her mind. He felt Azkadellia, the child, fleetingly. Reaching out for DG’s hand, Raw placed her hand on her sister’s head, with him. He held her hand tight when she tried to pull away. The horrors from DG’s experience washed across his mind too but he held on. Guiding DG to where he felt her sister, together they opened their minds searching.

                Azkadellia was hiding from the bad men. They kept hurting her and laughing. She wanted her mommy and daddy! She wanted DG! The scared princess began to see a light, but she hid her face. If I can’t see them then they can’t see me she thought. Az heard a quiet sound. It was calling her name. It didn’t sound like the bad men. Curious, she looked toward the light where the sound came from.

                “Az! Azkadellia! My sister, where are you?” It sounded like DG! Did she come looking for her? Slowly, she came out of her hiding spot. Instead of the bad men, DG was waiting for her. Az’s younger sister wrapped her arms around the frightened young woman. It felt safe.

                Azkadellia’s eyes began to flutter open. She felt DG’s arms wrapped around her and didn’t feel so afraid. Looking up she saw her sister’s blue eyes full of happy tears. “Welcome back, Az,” DG told her sister as the tears streamed down her face. They stayed like that for a while. DG holding her sister and rocking her back and forth. Mary and Raw quietly left the room, not wanting to intrude on the peace that the girls had found.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rape aftermath and recovery

Azkadellia had several bad dreams over the next few hours but DG was able to calm her. The next day’s light brought with it questions of what to do next.

                “I don’t think going to Central City is a good idea. It’s too big, too chaotic,” Cain said voicing his opinion. “I don’t want them at the castle until I know they will be safe.”      

                “But the queen and Ahamo are there. They need to know that the girls are safe,” argued Glitch. “They are probably going out of their minds with worry and I can tell you having your mind out isn’t so hot.”

                DG stood at the door, quietly listening to the discussion. They didn’t know she was there, but Az was asleep, and she needed to be with the others. A vivid nightmare of her own had frightened her awake and she couldn’t stay in the bed. As the others debated reasons why they should and shouldn’t go back to Central City, DG tired of it and spoke up.

                “I want to go to Finaqua. We can be safe but away from people. My parents can be notified where we are and can come there .” She didn’t wait for any discussion, turning back into the room, softly closing the door.

                The others sat in silence for a few minutes. There was a feeling of sadness that surrounds DG. They all could feel it. They only knew some of what DG went through, except Raw. When they were searching for Az in her mind, the memories of DG’s assault flashed through his mind. It haunts him. He has the memories of both princesses’ assaults. Raw wonders if there is a way to help him to forget them.

                They begin talking about how to arrange the trip to Finaqua and to notify the queen and her consort. It is decided that Shelly would ride to Central City to notify the princesses’ parents. The rest of them would head out toward the palace at Finaqua as soon as Azkadellia was okay to travel.

                “I want you to take this to the Queen. It will explain some of the basic information about was has happened with Azkadellia. They are going to want to know more. They don’t know about DG being taken. There are things that should only be shared face to face. I will try to explain this in the letter,” Cain instructed Shelly. Handing her the letter, she rode off on her journey to the palace in Central City.

                Az and DG slept until midday. Cain wanted to head out that afternoon, but they weren’t sure how the older princess would be with that. Mary had been in to check on both girls after they woke. Az was understandably nervous but allowed the woman to examine her.

                “You are healing well, your majesty. Your body is strong just like you are.” Azkadellia wanted to argue that she didn’t feel strong, she felt so weak. The look on the older woman’s face stopped her. It was a look of believing, knowing that Az was strong. It wasn’t empty words. Instead of arguing, the princess just ducked her head down to hide the tears that were suddenly filling her eyes. How could this woman believe in her so much? It was like Mary read her mind, saying.

                “Right now, you don’t feel strong and struggle to believe you will ever overcome this. Believe in us. DG knows how strong you are. Every single one here knows how strong you are. We believe in you and over time, you will begin to believe in yourself.” Tears were flowing down all three women’s faces.

                “Alright, enough tears from me. About leaving for Finaqua, I think we should stay here another day.” Speaking to Az, “You have a lot of internal injuries, I’d like you to rest here so that your body can have a little more time before we have to put that stress on it. I’m to give you both something to keep you comfortable and let you rest. Traveling tomorrow will be difficult. “

                DG wanted to argue. She didn’t like the idea of staying still. It would give her too much time to think. She also didn’t like staying in the same area as the attack. A lot of long coats had run away from the bunker and were still a threat. The princess knew that she was safe with her friends around her though. They were willing to die for her and Azkadellia if it came to it. That knowledge didn’t stop the fear from churning in her stomach and making her feel sick.

               

                Even with the pain medication coming through Azkadellia’s I.V. it only took the edge off the pain. The only way she didn’t feel it was when she was deeply unconscious. If she could dream, then the pain followed. So, did the faces and feel of her attackers. They wouldn’t go away. Az tried to hide the pain from DG and the midwife Mary. She knew her rape wasn’t her fault but somehow, she felt she deserved it. Everything the Sorceress had done was on her hands. Why shouldn’t she suffer for it? So, she suffered in silence.

               

                Before Shelly left for Central City she and Cain had a long talk. He knew that the queen and Ahamo had to be out of their minds with worry. He was pretty sure that they had seen Azkadellia’s rape that had been broadcast throughout the whole O.Z. Cain was relieved he didn’t actually see it, but he wondered if the aftermath was worse. He explained who she should ask for when she arrived in Central City. It would be difficult to get her into the queen. Security had to be at an all-time high. He had written a letter for the queen’s eyes only, explaining some of what transpired. It would be better to learn the severity of their daughters’ abuse in person. It was a good half a day ride by horseback to the Palace. Shelly wanted to get going as soon as possible but made sure to stop by and see the princesses before she left. Princess Azkadellia was asleep but DG was awake sitting in a chair by the fire. Her eyes looked so lost.

                “I’m heading out in a few minutes. Do you want me to give your parents a message from you,” she asked DG? The young woman sat there staring at the fire for a few minutes. Shelly wasn’t didn’t think she would answer and began to leave. “Tell them I’m sorry, I didn’t find Az in time.” She was silent after that. Shelly was heartbroken by DG’s message but promised to deliver it anyway.

 

                The next day instead of leaving early as planned, they weren’t ready to leave until early afternoon. Azkadellia’s nightmares had gotten worse and they had all been up most of the night. She was finally resting, and they didn’t want to disturb her.  

                Cain was concerned about his friend Raw. He had gone into Azkadellia’s mind seeing the horrors there as well as looking into her body at the extensive damage. For some reason, Raw seemed to feel Az’s feeling stronger than the others. It was wearing him down. Hopefully Raw could spend some time alone when they arrived at Finaqua

                DG was given some comfortable clothes to wear instead of the nightgown she had on. She then helped Az change into a clean nightgown and robe. Between the nightgown and robe, Az was covered from the top of her neck, down to her ankles. Heavy socks for her cold feet finished the outfit off.

                The older princess heard Cain, Jeb, and Glitch talking about moving a mattress into the back of the truck for her to lay on. Thinking of it triggered a moment of panic. The image of being on a different mattress covered in her own blood flashed through her mind. DG saw the wave of emotions wash across her sister’s face. Understanding dawned and she went to have a talk with the men. She didn’t explain why their plan was a problem, just notified them that the mattress was to be set up like a couch for her and her sister to sit on. Cain recognized the seriousness of her tone and went to reposition the mattress for them without comment.

                Wyatt Cain and Raw rode in the front of the truck, while the rest stayed in the back. Raw needed a bit of space from the emotions rolling off the princesses. Now that decisions on where to go and how to keep the girls safe, Cain’s emotions were calmer, and focused. It was a relief for Raw after the roller coaster of emotions that he had been feeling. They didn’t speak, just quietly enjoyed each other’s presence.

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                It took Shelly half a day to reach Central City on horseback. The city seemed almost in shock. Since the public broadcast of Princess Azkadellia’s rape, the people weren’t sure what to think or expect. They tried to look to their monarch, Queen Lavender and her Consort Ahamo, but they had withdrawn into the palace. Prior to the broadcast, the city had been divided on whether they should believe that the princess had been possessed and that the sorceress was gone. The name Azkadellia had been hated for so long. How could they stop overnight?

                The broadcast had changed all that. Zero’s goal was to rile the people up against the queen and against Azkadellia, but it had backfired. Horrible though it was, the people couldn’t see Askadellia the Sorceress. They saw Azkadellia the princess they had thought lost. The heartfelt plea to her family to help her was for most the final piece needed to believe. Those that had raged against her name hours before now wept for her and her family. There are always those like Zero who were aroused by what they saw, but for the most part, the O.Z. now stood behind and prayed for their Princess Azkadellia.

                Shelly found that getting in to see the Queen wasn’t as easy as she thought. The guards were very protective of the royal family, especially after what happened. It wasn’t until evening that she had finally convinced the right people that Cain had sent her and that she should see the queen. Shelly by this point was ready to shoot the next person that told her she couldn’t get her message to the queen.

                She wasn’t quite sure what to expect but being taken to their private suite wasn’t it. Shelly was escorted in, but several guards stayed beside her in case she tried anything. The queen and Ahamo sat down in the sitting room waiting for her to speak.

                “Your Majesties, I bring a message to you from Cain. He apologizes for not coming himself, but he chose to remain with the princesses.” When Shelly said princesses, all eyes were on her.

                “He found Azkadellia,” the queen asked daring to hope? “Yes, your majesty.”

                “Is she alright? Why didn’t they come with you,” her questions poured out in a rush? Instead of answering, Shelly extended her hand handing the letter to the queen. Queen Lavender was almost afraid to read the letter. She knew some of what it would contain but was upset over what else might have happened. Opening it slowly she angled it so both she and Ahamo could read it. When they were finished, there were tears streaming down her face. Dismissing the guards, she asked Shelly to sit in one of the chairs.

                “Cain tells me that you helped them locate Zero’s hideout. Thank you,” the queen said gratefully. “I’m pleased they decided to go to Finaqua. He mentioned that DG had gotten hurt but was alright now. How did she get hurt?” The queen’s lavender eyes looked into Shelly’s brown eyes, begging for answers.

                “Before I left Cain and I had a long talk. He felt there were things that I should tell you and others he should in person. I will answer what I can though.” The princesses’ parents nodded their heads, clearly worried. “When we arrived at the bunker Zero had taken the princess to, DG got separated from us. One moment she was there and the next she was gone. Somehow Zero had grabbed her. Please don’t be angry with Cain. There were 5 of us with her and no one saw what happened.” She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “There were close to 30 long coats outside the bunker and some going in and out. Raw was trying to get in there with no thought of his safety. We ended up being spotted before we were close enough. We exchanged gunfire back and forth, but we were pinned down. We kept trying to get past the guards but couldn’t. A little over an hour had passed since DG was taken into the bunker and Raw was becoming frantic. Suddenly, a horrible scream filled the air. It wasn’t a normal scream, I could feel it cut through me.” Pausing for a moment, Shelly collected her thoughts and continued. “That’s when they started bursting into flames.” Confusion was evident on the royal couple's faces. “I don’t know exactly how many there were but at least 8 men just went up in flames. They weren’t near each other. It was like they had been chosen at random. The rest of the men guarding the bunker took off in fright. Raw took off at a run into the bunker and we followed. I stayed upstairs, guarding the door, while the rest of them went down into the basement. It was close to half an hour before they came back up. Wyatt Cain was carrying Princess Azkadellia and Glitch was supporting DG.”

                “Do you know what happened in the basement?” the queen asked. Shaking her head, Shelly answered, “I have an idea about what happened but that’s something you will need to find out from them.” Nodding her head, the queen asked what happened next and what Azkadellia’s condition was. “I took them to a cabin that they could stay in while Jeb and I went to town for supplies and help. I’m from that town and knew the midwife would be the best one to help.” “Why the midwife,” Ahamo interrupted? The queen placed her hand on his, knowing why the midwife was the best choice. “Mary, the midwife got some medical supplies from the town doctor and then came with us back to the cabin.”

                When Shelly paused in her story, the queen asked again about Az’s condition. She also wanted to know is Shelly knew why the men caught on fire. She was sure that the scream had caused it somehow. Shelly really didn’t want to answer those questions, but she knew she must. “When I saw your older daughter, she was wrapped in Cain’s coat and was bleeding, a lot. I asked about the burned bodies. I had found 3 more of them inside. Zero and another man had burned where the princesses had been kept in the basement. Your daughter DG answered my question as to why those ones had burned.” Shelly had to collect herself before she could go on. “She said that they were the men that had hurt her sister.”

                “Please no!” The queen burst into tears. “Those men raped her?” Shelly could only nod her head. “You said there were over a dozen men that burned!” Again, all Shelly could do was nod. Suddenly the queen’s eyes went wide. “What happened to DG?” The queen was panicking.

                “I don’t know what happened. I know she was hurt somehow. I left the room when Mary checked her out.” Seizing onto that the queen asked, “Were you in there when she treated Az?” Shelly nodded, dreading telling them. “There were cuts on her chest,” the queen already knew about those. “There were also bite marks.” She didn’t feel she needed to give too much detail on the whereabouts of the marks. “She was covered in blood and most of it was from where they had assaulted her. Mary had to give her donor blood because she was so low. I know DG and Raw did something while they were in the basement that kept her from bleeding to death, but I don’t know what.”

                Hearing that Azkadellia was raped to the point where she was bleeding to death was like a punch to the gut for her parents. The queen got up running from the room, vomiting in the bathroom. Ahamo followed her feeling ill himself. Shelly just sat there in the chair and cried for the princesses and for their parents.

                The queen, Ahamo, Shelly and a full contingent of guards left for Finaqua early the next morning.

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                The drive to Finaqua took them late into the evening. They had only stopped once on the 8-hour drive. They had left early afternoon and were all antsy to get there. DG had done well the first few hours, thanks to pain medicine from Mary. Unfortunately, they had worn off a few hours in and the jostling of the truck was causing the pain to build. Even though Az’s internal damage had been treated, she was hurting more and more. DG’s wounds had been tended, but the rest of her body was beginning to hurt.

                DG had suffered a concussion from the blow from Zero’s gun. Her arms and shoulders were covered in bruises and the joints felt like they had been torn apart. Seeing her sister Az be brutally raped right in front of her, she had tried to rip her arms away from Zero’s lackey. He had been too strong for her to escape and Zero had raped her sister anyway. Her lower half also throbbed. Her hips and thighs were covered with bruises in the shape of Zero’s hands and bouncing along in the truck were making it worse.

                Mary noticed how DG kept shifting in her seat from pain. Pulling the bottle of pain pills from her bag, she shook two into the palm of her hand. Picking up a canteen of water, she handed the pills and water to the young princess. Smiling her thanks, DG down the pills hoping they kick in fast.

                Azkadellia was a completely different story. Her body had been used as a punching bag. The pale skin of her breasts was covered in bites. They had begun to scab over, but several had developed infections. That pain was dwarfed by the agony radiating from between her legs. Az had curled up on her side, facing away from everyone. The bleeding had mostly stopped, and the majority of the tears repaired but the trauma to the soft tissues had caused the extensive bruising and swelling inside of her.

                The pain seemed to come in waves. It would be bearable for a short time, then gain in intensity until it was excruciating. Every time the wave of pain crested, Azkadellia’s mind took her back to the cell as a glass bottle, a gun, a broken broom, whatever they had on hand was forced inside her. It was even worse when they shoved things inside both her vagina and anus. There had even been a few times that two men had assaulted her at the same time. She felt like she was being ripped in two.

                With her back to everyone, none of them realized what was happening to the princess. She was so still that they thought she was asleep. DG was even beginning to relax now that the medicine was kicking in. Suddenly the truck came to a screeching stop. Everyone was thrown out of their seats. Raw’s door opened and he came rushing around the truck to get in. He pushed everyone out of his way, hurrying to Azkadellia’s side. Pulling her into his arms, he cried out from the pain radiating from her.

                “Pain medicine now!” he practically roared at Mary. Fumbling for the vial and syringe in her bag, she quickly drew up enough to knock the princess out. Kneeing by her patient, she quickly depressed the syringe into her I.V. port and hurried back.

                Raw held Azkadellia in his arms rocking her and humming in her ear. After a minute or so her body began to relax, curling into Raw’s furry body. No one knew what to say. Cain had followed Raw and stood in the doorway. DG was shocked that she hadn’t realized her sister was in such pain. She reached her hand out to touch her sister but Raw pulled Az away, growling under his breath. DG pulled back as if burned. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath not sure what to do. Finally, Cain spoke up saying they were stopping for a break and everyone should get out. DG and Mary hesitated but Cain pointed to the door signaling them to get out too.

                Raw hadn’t moved from his spot as he continued to rock the sleeping princess. Cain cautiously came up to the two of them, kneeling beside them but not touching.

                “What happened?” Cain asked. “Hard to find words, her pain too much to take.” Raw was trying to explain but struggled to find the words.

                “Pain different this time. Pain and memories together.” After taking a few calming breaths he continued. “Azkadee’s pain in waves. Worst pain brings memories, bad memories of how they hurt her.” He shook his head feeling like he wasn’t explaining it right. “When memories come, Az feel same pain she did in memory, connected.”

                “What is she remembering Raw? What pain is she feeling?” Cain asked but wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer.

                “Gun, knife, broken stick. Men hurting her.” Looking at Cain’s face Raw softly said, “Forced in her Cain, caused damage DG and I try to fix.” The tin man felt like he was going to throw up when he understood what Raw was trying to tell him. Somehow the pain was causing Azkadellia’s memories to merge and be brought to life. She was feeling those monsters rape her and force those horrible things into her body. The damage they caused nearly killed her, would have killed her if not for DG and Raw. Neither of them said anything for a while. They just sat with the princess feeling helpless.

                DG had sat on the bumper of the truck. She was feeling overwhelmed. How had she missed Az being in such pain? Why did Raw growl at her? He wouldn’t even let her touch her sister. When Cain and Raw began to discuss what had happened DG listened closely. When Raw told Cain, what had been used to torture her sister, she couldn’t stand it. The young woman ran from the truck into the nearby trees. Jeb had been keeping a close eye on her and quickly followed.

                Jeb found DG throwing up her lunch and sobbing. Gently he held her hair back from her face while she emptied her stomach. When she was done, Jeb helped her up and pulled her into his arms. DG clung to him as she sobbed for her sister, for herself, for the injustice of it all. As she began to calm, Jeb Cain led her to a nearby log and sat down with her.

                “Do you want to talk about it? He softly asked. DG looked up and just stared in his eyes for a time. Jeb figured she saw what she needed because she began to talk.

                “Az was hurting, and I didn’t know. The pain she was experiencing somehow linked with the memory of how she had received the injuries. Az was reliving some of the worst pain of her life, laying beside me and I didn’t know. Raw could feel it from the front of the truck and I couldn’t. What kind of sister am I?” By the time she finished talking, DG was crying again. Jeb just held her in his arms and rocked her like his mother used to rock him.

                Jeb didn’t know how long they stayed like that but realized it must have been a while when he heard his father’s footsteps. Gently he helped DG up off the log and met his father part way. Together they walked back to the others. Gathering everyone that was outside the truck around, Cain explained the situation.

                “Azkadellia will be moving up into the cab with Raw and I. He doesn’t want to be far from her at this point.” Glitch spoke up, “Cain what happened? I don’t understand.” Clearing his throat Cain continued. “Even though it wasn’t visible from looking at her, Az was trapped by the pain. It’s hard to explain it. The pain she felt from her injuries somehow linked to memories of what happened to her. It took her back there. That’s why Raw was so upset. He was seeing what was done to her as well as feeling her pain.” Looking at DG he said, “He’s sorry for growling at you. He was lost in her pain and reacting to anything as if it were a threat to her.” Looking at everyone, he clapped his hands and said, “Let’s get on the road.”

                Mary and DG moved blankets into the cab to lay on the seat between Cain and Raw. They tried to make it as comfortable for her as possible. They both felt like they had let the older girl down. Raw met Cain at the back of the truck with Az in his arms. Carefully he passed her down to Cain and then together got her safely loaded in the cab of the truck with them. The rest of them loaded into the back and took their seats for the rest of the journey.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning Rape aftermath, memories of it.

        

A few hours later Cain pulled over and switched driving with Jeb. He was getting sleepy and didn’t want to risk it. He trusted his son to take over, so he could rest. Cain only slept 2 hours before he was ready to drive again. Getting into Finaqua was tricky during the day and worse at night.

                Thankfully the tin man didn’t have any problem getting there. The route seemed to open up for him. It probably had to do with the 2 sleeping princesses that were in the truck and it was a magical place. It was close to midnight when they pulled in and everyone was exhausted. Cain was pleased to see that the security was tight, and they were greeted right away.

                “I need a suite for the princesses to share set up immediately. My son and I will personally be guarding them. Please make arrangements for the rest of our friends as well.” The soldiers were quick to wake the needed staff and get things done right away.

                When a serving girl came out to let them know the suite was ready, Cain asked for everyone that was awake to come out, so he could speak with them. She hurried off to gather everyone and within a few minutes, they stood outside waiting for him to speak.

                “Did you see the broadcast,” was the first thing he asked? Nods came from those assembled before him. “You then have an idea of what has happened. The princesses are not to be disturbed by anyone without mine or my son, Jeb’s knowledge.” Gesturing for Mary to come over, “This is Mary and she will be taking care of them.” He paused for a few moments as his words sank in. Multiple sets of eyes met his with questions in them. “Both of the princesses were injured. Princess DG was injured during the rescue attempt and is recovering well. Princess Azkadellia’s injuries became quite serious but seem to be improving. The Queen and Ahamo have been notified that we were coming here. We should expect them within the next day or two.  Please remember you are a member of this royal household and should behave as such.” His warning rang out loud and clear to all of them. What had happened and what would be happening was to stay within the palace.

                Cain carefully lifted Az out of the truck cab. Thankfully she was sedated enough that the movement wouldn’t wake her. He followed as one of the maids showed him to the waiting suite. Laying her down on a soft bed in the first room he came to, he then proceeded to inspect the entire suite for any kind of dangers. Finally satisfied, he went back to check on the princess.

                DG had finally fallen asleep not long before they arrived. Not wanting to wake her, Jeb carefully picked her up in his arms, carrying her to the waiting room. He found his father waiting for them.  Placing her down on the bed in the other bedroom, he came back out joining his father. Mary came in shortly after that with several servants bringing three portable beds. She had them left it in the front room. After the servants had left she began moving one into Azkadellia’s room. Jeb stopped her and moved it for her.

                “Thank you,” she said to Jeb. Looking at both Cain men, she motioned toward the other beds. “If you are going to protect them, you must be rested.” With that she turned and went into the room, closing the door behind her.

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                Wyatt Cain and his son Jeb worked together quietly, setting up their beds. They both agreed that sleeping in shifts would be the best choice. Neither one said it, but they wanted to be able to get to either princess immediately if needed. Jeb had positioned his bed close to DG’s door and Cain close to Az’s.

                The tin man felt wired and said he would take the first half of the night. He wanted to go check on Az anyway. Knocking on the door and receiving a come in from Mary, Cain quietly entered the princess’ room.

                “I’m glad you came. I need your help.” The midwife was going to need help moving the unconscious princess while her injuries were rebandaged. “First could you get one of the servants to get me a clean nightgown for her? I need it to open in the front. It will make bandage changing easier.” Nodding, he went out of the suite to find the requested item. It didn’t take him long to find someone though. The household was up a buzzing with activity. Between the princess’s arrival that night and the impending arrival by the rest of the royal family, there was much to get done.

                The servant Cain had found returned quickly with the requested item as well as a second if needed. He thanked her before heading back to the suite. When he got back his knock-on Az’s door received a “come in.”

                Mary had found it easier to cut open the gown her patient was wearing than to try and remove it. That’s why she had requested one that could be opened from the front. When Cain came in the gown was open but her breasts, as well as other parts on her chest, were covered in bandages. Coming to the side of the bed, he placed the clean nightgowns on the end. Some of the bite marks had oozed, seeping through the bandages. He knew that was a clear sign of infection.

                Looking up at Cain, she asked, “Are you okay with helping me change her bandages? Previously Shelly or DG would help. I don’t want to wake her though.” Cain had done his share of wound care and was comfortable with that aspect. His concern was where her injuries were. However, it needed to be done. Nodding his head to Mary, he asked, “What do you need me to do?”

                When the blood was covering her breasts in the cell, Cain could tell they had been bitten but it wasn’t until he saw the bites now without the blood that he realized how bad they were. Tears began to gather at the corner of his eyes. He could almost hear her screams. Shaking his head, Cain brought his focus back to helping Mary.

                She was patient while Cain pushed aside his horror at seeing what the monsters had done to Azkadellia. The shock of actually seeing the damage needed a bit of time to process. When he was ready she instructed Cain to wash his hands carefully and then which supplies to hand her while caring for the princess. They didn’t talk much while they worked. He had been right about some of the wounds being infected. Before beginning to clean them another injection of pain medication was given to Azkadellia. Neither of them wanted her to feel the pain that cleaning her wounds would cause.

                It took them close to an hour to clean and bandage the cuts and bites covering her torso. Cain was thankful she was sedated. If she had to feel the disinfectant bubble and foam on her injuries, her screams would have broken his heart. With her upper body done, it was time to move to her lower half. Wyatt Cain was relieved when Mary told him she could handle this part alone. He sat down on the bed beside Azkadellia with his back to the woman and let her work. As he sat there Cain gently took her hand in his, hoping to share some of his strength with the sleeping young woman.

                Mary touched him on the shoulder to let him know she was done. Together they removed the damaged bloody nightgown she was wearing and put the fresh one on. They realized when they lifted her that blood had soaked into the bedding. With Cain holding Az safely in his arms, the midwife replaced the bedding. She also made sure to put down an extra blanket if needed to soak up the blood.

                When Mary had been tending to Az’s genital area she had noticed that the blood flow seemed to have increased. It wasn’t until they saw that it had soaked through into the bedding that they realized the princess was losing blood again. It wasn’t as much as before but something was happening, and they were going to need to monitor her closely. Mary reconnected the I.V. and put her on another round of antibiotics and a saline drip. She also carefully placed a catheter in. The princess wasn’t going to be happy about it but if Mary felt she needed to be kept sedated or on bedrest, the catheter would make things easier. After putting an absorbent cloth between Azkadellia’s legs to catch the extra blood, they covered her up in warm blankets.

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                It was DG that woke with the nightmare this time. Her scream had both Cain men in her room immediately, searching for danger. All they found was the young princess wrapped up in her blankets, fighting for her life. Jeb didn’t hesitate as he rushed to the bed. Taking her by the shoulders and shaking her didn’t help, neither did calling her name.

                “Stop! No! Please stop, your hurting me! Let me go, someone help me! Cain where are you!” Her cries tore through their hearts, especially the tin man’s. “Noooo, get off, please don’t! Az!” Curling into a ball, DG tried to protect herself from Zero who had lived on in the princess’ dreams. Cain moved to the other side of the bed, gently gathering her into his arms that way he had when Jeb was small. He rocked her back and forth making soothing sounds in her ear. She went from crying in her sleep to crying as she woke. He just kept rocking her as she buried her head in his chest, her tears soaking into his shirt. Slowly the young woman’s trembling slowed, and her sobs stopped. Looking up into Cain’s face, he saw the tears continue to slide down her cheeks.

                “Hey kid, do you want to tell me what the screaming was about,” Cain said softly. Shaking her head, no, DG buried her face into his shirt again. Motioning for his son to leave, he picked her up and moved them over to a comfortable chair, just sitting there holding her.

                Slowly her body relaxed into him, knowing she was safe and protected. “He raped me, Cain,” her voice was barely more than a whisper. She kept her head down, not wanting to see his reaction. “Zero,” she choked out his name. “He forced his hand in me. He kept pushing it further and further inside me.  I felt like he was going to rip me in two. Az knows about him doing that, but she doesn’t know the rest.” Pausing, DG looked up into Cain’s eyes. “She can’t know, at least not while she’s trying to heal.” Nodding his head silently, he waited for her to continue. “It was when Zero was on top of me that I could feel the magic beginning to come from Az. She can’t remember anything happening after the magic came.”

                Suddenly her body went ridged. Eyes wide with fright, DG spoke in a panicked whisper. “Cain, I don’t know if he finished! What if I get pregnant? Another possibility shocked her. “What if Az gets pregnant? There were so many of them!” She was really panicking now! “I can look inside her like I did before! If there’s something there, what should I do?”

                Grabbing her by the shoulders Cain gave her a good shake. “Stop and listen to what you are saying! Looking inside Az to see if she’s pregnant and then doing something to it? You would never hurt an unborn child, no matter who fathered it!”

                DG dissolved into tears, clinging onto Cain for dear life. “Everything will work out, I promise you,” he whispered. “I’ll make sure of it.” 

                When Cain woke the next morning, he found his arms full of a sleeping princess. Remembering her nightmare and everything that she told him, made him want to keep her protected in his arms. When he tried to wrap his arms around her tighter Cain found his arms had fallen asleep. Groaning in frustration, he tried to move his arms enough to wake them up without waking the princess. It didn’t happen. Her bright blue eyes fluttered some before opening wide. Realizing where she was, DG quickly slid off his lap, landing on the floor in a heap.

                As he flexed his hands and arms to return circulation, Cain asked if she was okay. Silently she nodded her head yes. As her memory of how she ended up on Cain’s lap returned, so did the tears. Rising from the chair and walking to her, Cain pulled DG to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as she cried. “I promised you everything will work out, please trust me.” Kissing the top of her head he let go of her. “Why don’t you take a hot bath. It will help you feel better. I will be out there with Jeb, holler if you need us.”

                After he had closed the door DG thought about his suggestion. It did sound wonderful. She could finally wash Zero’s touch from her skin. Drawing a bath as hot as she could stand, the young woman climbed in and began to try to scrub the memory of him away.

                When Cain came out of DG’s room, he could see Jeb was worried, he was too. Everything seemed to have spiraled out of control. Less than a week ago they had a laughter-filled picnic with high hopes of things to come. It had been shattered that very night, plunging their world into a living nightmare.

                “Is she okay?” Jeb asked his dad. “Honestly, I don’t know.” Taking a deep sigh Cain continued, “With everything they have both been through, I don’t know if they will ever be okay again. But, we’re going to do our best to see that they get as close as possible.” Shifting topics Cain asked how Azkadellia was doing.

                “I haven’t heard a sound from the room other than Mary moving around. Az is pretty heavily sedated.” Looking to his dad, he asked, “What happened in the truck? She was doing so good and now the only way to keep her out of pain is to drug her. I don’t get it.”

                “I don’t either. I do have a feeling that her magic has something to do with it. It wouldn’t protect her, only DG and then not until things got really bad.” Flopping down on the sofa, Cain released a frustrated sigh, not knowing what else to do.

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                The royal party arrived later that morning. It had taken then just over a day to reach Finaqua. On a normal trip, they would have taken 2 days. Both Queen Lavender and Ahamo were anxious to see their daughters. The guards greeted them upon arrival letting them know their room had been made ready. Seeing that the royal parents weren’t interested in seeing their rooms, servants quickly guided them to the princesses’ suite. The queen was ready to rush right in but Ahamo stopped her.

                “I don’t want to be looking down the barrel of Cain’s gun.” Nodding her understanding, she waited as her husband knocked loudly on the door, announcing their presence.

                At the sound of noise outside the door, both Cain men had their guns, drawn and ready. When the queen’s consort Ahamo announced that he and the queen were there, Cain holstered his gun, moving toward the door. Jeb kept his gun out, stepping back towards the two bedrooms. It was only after Wyatt Cain opened the door and visually confirmed who it was, that Jeb lowered and holstered his gun.

                “Where are my girl’s?” the queen asked in a rush. “I want to see them now.”

                “Azkadellia is sleeping in the first room with Mary and DG is in the other room taking a bath. Why don’t I take you in to introduce you to Mary, so you can see Az.”? The queen nodded her acceptance of Cain’s suggestion. After knocking softly on the door, the former tin man led Azkadellia’s parents in to see her.

                Upon seeing her sleeping daughter, tears began to flow down Lavender’s face. Az’s face was bruised and pale. Vivid purple and green skin wrapped around her neck in the pattern of hands. The blanket was pulled almost to her chin. Her arms were out with an I.V. in one. There were bruises covering most of the visible skin of her arms. Thankfully Azkadellia didn’t appear to be in any pain.

                The queen only had eyes for her daughter ignoring Cain’s introduction of Mary. Ahamo greeted the woman that was caring for their daughter.

                “How long has she been asleep?” the queen asked. Mary replied that she was sedated and had been since the previous day. Concern was written across both parents faces. Understanding their concern, she continued. “I don’t understand why but her pain keeps increasing in strength and is somehow causing her injuries to worsen. When she is asleep, it seems to be the worst. The only way to keep her comfortable is to keep her deeply sedated like this.”

                Cain approached the heartbroken parents, resting a hand on each of their shoulders. “Raw is the only one that has been able to give us any insight. Somehow the pain is linked to her memories. When Az is sleeping, memories of her assaults overwhelm her. Somehow, when she remembers she also feels the pain like it was happening again. She won’t tell us when she hurts. The only way we knew was Raw’s reaction to her pain. He seems to have a very strong connection to her.” Cain paused trying to come up with the right words. “I don’t understand why but I think that her magic is causing it.” Everyone in the room turned to look at him surprised. “I know it sounds crazy, but Az’s magic wouldn’t protect her no matter how much they hurt her or how hard she tried. She couldn’t even feel it. It wasn’t until DG was being hurt, that her magic kicked in. And now her injuries seem to be getting worse. I thought that somehow holding her body clenched from the pain had caused her to begin bleeding worse, but it doesn’t make sense.” Throwing his hands up in frustration, Cain continued. “DG and Raw have had to go into her mind to bring her out when she has hidden. Something more than what those monsters did to her is wrong and I have no clue what to do.”

                Everyone was stunned silent when he finished speaking. Finally, Queen Lavender spoke, “I don’t understand either, but when you put everything that has happened together like that, it makes sense. Our magic can be unpredictable when the mind is confused and hurting. I gave my light to DG years ago. I don’t know how to help her without it.”

                Mary was surprised at the queen’s admission to not having power anymore. It did explain a lot though. She decided that she would check on DG and let her know that her parents were here. There was no answer when she knocked. Figuring DG was still in the bath she entered the room, heading to the bathroom. Once again when she knocked, there was no answer. Worried she opened to door.

                “Cain!” When Wyatt Cain heard Mary scream his name he took off running into DG’s bathroom. What he found was DG unconscious in the tub, her skin burned bright red and raw. Reaching into the bathtub, he grabbed her limp body feeling the hot water burning his skin. Pulling her out and clutching her to his chest, he was unsure what to do next. Mary got to business wrapping a large towel around the naked princess clutched in Cain’s arms. After draining the scalding water from the bath, she began to fill it up again with cold water. She instructed him to put DG back in the tub keeping the towel on her. Both Mary and Cain began to splash cold water upon DG’s burned skin, trying to prevent further damage.

                Her parents stood at the door, unsure of what to do. They wanted to help but knew they would be in the way. As the tub filled, Cain and Mary began to calm to an extent. The best thing for DG right now was to be in the cold water. The burned parts of her body were submerged in the water. All they could do was keep her head above the water and hope the damage to her body was minimal. Now their concern shifted to DG’ state of mind. The only way the water could have been that hot was if she had heated it with her magic. Her skin was scrubbed raw and bleeding in some areas. Cain was heartbroken when he saw that blood was coming from between her legs. She must have tried to scrub away Zero’s touch and that was where he had touched her the most. After about 10 minutes, Mary instructed him to once again lift her out of the bathtub. He averted his eyes when she removed the soaked towel and wrapped several dry ones around her.

                Once DG had been covered, Cain carried her into her bedroom, placing her on the bed. Calling to Jeb, Cain asked him to get Raw. Maybe he could help with the burns covering most of the young princess’ body. When everything they could do was done, the events crashed down on the four of them. Mary, Cain and DG’s parents were in a state of shock, especially her parents.

                “Cain, what happened to her?” Ahamo demanded. “Did DG just try to kill herself?”

                Shaking his head, no, Cain answered. “I believe she was trying to get Zero’s touch off.” Turning to look at her parents, he continued. “Zero molested DG and then raped her, causing her to need stitches.” Tears were sliding down his face as he told them. “DG begged me to not let Az know until she is stronger. That was when Azkadellia’s magic let lose burning up Zero and the others. She doesn’t know he raped DG.”

                The queen’s face was buried in her husband’s chest as she cried for her children. Both parents felt completely helpless to do anything. They had witnessed Azkadellia being brutally raped in front of the entire nation, found out that over a dozen men had also raped her and now found out that DG had been raped as well. It was too much! Turning to Cain, anger, and pain was written across her face, the queen wanted answers.

                “How could you let DG be raped too?” Seeing the tears on her face broke Cain’s heart. His reply was hard to say and even harder for her parents to hear. “If DG hadn’t been, Az would be dead. It’s a horrible trade, I know. I wish there was a way for things to have turned out differently. If DG hadn’t been attacked by Zero, Azkadellia’s magic would never have saved her and Az would have bled to death.”

                Raw and Jeb came into the room then. Raw walked slowly over to DG’s bedside. He gently brushed her hair up off her forehead with his paw. Lifting the blanket and unwrapping the towels, he saw the burned skin that covered most of her body. Softly, placing his paw on her shoulder, Raw closed his eyes and focused on healing as many of the burns as he could. He couldn’t completely heal them, but he was able to reduce the severity. Raw could also see where DG had scrubbed her skin raw and had been bleeding. Focusing, he carefully knit the torn skin back together. DG wouldn’t need the stitches repaired. Exhausted, the gentle man collapsed into a chair beside the bed.

                Grateful, the queen thanked Raw for helping DG. Ahamo had some questions that he would like answered while the healer was there. “Cain is telling us that DG being raped was what saved Az. How can that be true?” Raw sat there for a minute trying to decide how to answer. Getting up from the chair, Raw walked over to the mirror set on the dressing table. Turning to the queen and Ahamo he asked if they were sure they wanted to know. When they nodded, Raw placed his hand against the mirror. He tried to control the images that played out across the mirror. First, they saw the cell that Az had been kept in. They could hear her screaming in pain but couldn’t see her. All they could see were bloody objects that had been forced inside the princess. The next image was from Azkadellia’s mind. DG was being held down on a bloody mattress sobbing. It only showed her face, but it was enough for them to understand. Raw showed them how the bodies of the Longcoats went up in flames. The next series of images were of DG and Az when they were found in the cell. Az was holding DG and rocking her. They witnessed the change in Azkadellia when she let go of the magic. She looked almost dead.

                “Stop Please!” the queen cried. Raw answered, “No watch.” The scene played, where he and DG placed their hand on Az’s abdomen and began to heal her. Some of her color came back and she was breathing easier. “Look inside.” They were shown the view DG and Raw had seen as they worked to save her. They could see the torn flesh knit together and the flow of blood slow. Watching Azkadellia’s uterus slowly become whole and her intestines heal, had them all in tears. None of them had understood how severe the damage had been. Mary was shocked that the princess had survived at all.

                “DG’s light only way to save Azkadee. I’m not strong enough. Hard for DG to help, it hurt.” Dropping his hand from the mirror, Raw went to leave the room. Before he could go far, the queen wrapped her arms around him, thanking him again. Unsure at first what to do, he froze. As her wave of gratitude filled him, Raw wrapped his arms around her. This wasn’t a queen thanking her subject, this was a mother thanking him for helping her child.

                As Raw held the queen in his arms, a thought came to him. “Come see Azkadee, try idea.” Trusting him, Queen Lavender and the rest of them followed Raw into Azkadellia’s room. Speaking to Mary, “Turn down medicine.” Nodding to the furry man, Mary did as he asked. “It will take a while for it to decrease in her system, maybe 20 minutes.”

                Taking the queen by the hand he placed it on the princess’ forehead, with his hand covering hers. She had given her magic to DG many years ago but understood how it felt. Raw allowed her to use his magic to peer into her daughter’s mind. At first, all she saw was darkness, but she could hear a faint sound. Feeling like she was walking in a dark room, Lavender continued ahead listening for the sound again. There it was, slightly louder. Understanding came to her, it was a sound from long ago. Azkadellia as a small child, crying. She began to run, searching for her daughter.

 


	8. Chapter 8

 

Things were beginning to be easier to see as her surroundings got brighter. In front of her was a hedge maze, like the one to enter Finaqua. The crying was coming from inside. Entering the maze Az’s mother found twists and turns. Every time she made a turn, a memory of her daughters was played before her. Some were of her childhood, laughing and carefree. As the queen went deeper into the maze, the memories got darker. She witnessed as the witch took possession of Azkadellia and could feel her struggle, trying to get out. All the memories were from her daughter’s perspective. She could feel her daughter trying to fight the witch and felt her grief as the witch killed DG. The queen watched Az’s life trapped inside the witch as the years went by. I broke her heart the first time the witch gave her body to a man and her terror as it was happening. That was the first time she was raped, trapped inside her body, screaming for them to stop. Years continued to pass by with every turn in the maze. The queen was hurrying as fast as possible trying to get to her child, but one memory stopped her in her tracks.

                Az’s belly was swelling from a child growing inside her. It was the first time that Lavender could feel her daughter happy even though she was trapped. Watching life grow and feeling the baby move and magically connect with her mother’s magic was a miracle. It was giving Az strength she hadn’t felt in a long time. Lavender was confused,” What had happened to the child? Did she have a grandchild out there somewhere?” These thoughts ran through the queen’s mind until a scream brought her attention back to Az’s memory. Zero was there and had forced a knife up into her daughter’s womb. The witch had ordered him to kill the baby even though he had fathered it. She felt the pain from the knife and the pain as labor began. Feeling like the baby was being ripped from her body, Azkadellia delivered a little girl. Surprisingly, she was alive. She was about a month early but alive and seemed strong. The witch forced Az’s hands to pick up the child, allowing her terror to build and then snapped the baby’s neck. The agony that her daughter felt was echoed in her mind.

                That was when Az began to withdraw from the conscious world. The witch was in full control feeding off her prisoner’s pain. Several years past while horrible things happened, and Az hid. It wasn’t until she realized that DG was alive that she began to resist again. She was so weak after so long but didn’t give up. Lavender witnesses through Azkadellia’s eyes, taking DG’s hand and pulling away from the witch. Felt her joy at the witch’s death as well as her fear of the future.

                The queen was hearing her child’s cries growing louder and louder. She knew what was coming. Feeling the pain from her mother’s coldness toward her and the people’s hate, made the queen want to weep at her own part in her daughter’s pain. She felt the joy of finding friends and relief from finally sharing her pain with someone else.

                The fear that came next took the queen’s breath away. It was all-encompassing and she couldn’t escape. The pain and the horror of what Zero and his men had done to her daughter played out across Lavender’s mind. It was all the queen could do to not break free of the connection and flee. Suddenly the pain was forced back. DG was there holding her in her arms. Az’ fear for herself receded as the terror for her sister grew. Feeling helpless, laying there while DG was forced to watched Zero rape her again. Their mother watched horrified as Zero forced his hand inside her sweet angel DG, hearing her scream. For the first time, since she was a child, the queen felt Az connect with her magic. During the years she was a prisoner, she had no control over her magic and it was a foreign feeling to her. Lavender was awed at the power her daughter unknowingly harnessed and released. The magic focused on protecting DG and didn’t withdraw until DG was safe with their friends. Queen Lavender felt her Azkadellia let go of her magic as well as her will to live. She was ready to be done. Thankfully, DG and Raw had pulled her back, drawing her out of her hiding place.

                Az was beginning to heal. DG was there, and she felt safe. It was while her sister slept that Az saw what was in DG’s nightmare. Zero had raped her, she hadn’t protected her, hadn’t stopped him soon enough. Her magic started to spiral down as waves of guilt overwhelmed her. The magic intensified the pain from her injuries and forced her to remember and feel each one inflicted. She unconsciously was using her magic to punish herself.

                This was the last memory that appeared before the queen. In front of her lay, her little girl curled up into a protective ball. Rushing to her Lavender pulled her child into her lap, singing to her and rocking like she had when Az was small. She focused all her love and understanding into her sweet child that she had lost. She had found her and was never letting go again.

                Slowly her eyes began to open as she returned to the real world. Looking down she found her daughter safe in her arms. For the first time in a very long time, there was a look of peace on Azkadellia’s sleeping face. Lavender looked around for her husband Ahamo. He had been afraid to touch either of them for fear he would interrupt. At his wife’s encouragement, he moved to sit behind her, wrapping his arms around them both. Cain, Raw, and Mary quietly slipped out of the room. Tears streamed down each of their faces but unlike before, these were tears of relief.

*************************************************************************************

                After leaving the Azkadellia in her parent’s arms, Cain decided to check on DG. Jeb had stayed with her when Raw had led the rest of them into Az’s room. Jeb left when Wyatt Cain got to DG’s bedside.  Sitting down beside her on the bed he took her hand in his. Speaking softly, “Hey, kid. I wish you could have seen what just happened. I think Az is going to be okay, I promised she would. Now it’s your turn. You’re the toughest person I know but it’s okay not to be tough too. You let your magic hurt you, kid. You can’t do that. Do you want to give this old man a heart attack?

                “You’re not old.” Cain was shocked as DG whispered to him. She didn’t open her eyes or move her body, just that small phrase. Squeezing her hand, he silently pleaded with his young friend to open her eyes. “I can hear you thinking.” Chuckling softly, he answered, “If you would open your eyes I wouldn’t have to think so loud.” Slowly, he saw one eye open a fraction. He could barely see any of the blue in her eyes. “Come on, that doesn’t count, “he joked. She opened the second eye just as far as the first. “Really kid, let me see the blue of your eyes.”

                In a soft voice, she answered him. “Cain, I don’t want you to see into my eyes. You can always read me, and I’m scared.” “DG, there is nothing hidden in your eyes that will change who you are in my eyes. Even though I’m old, my eyesight is still perfect.” After not moving or saying anything for several minutes, DG finally opened her eyes, blue eyes meeting blue. “There you are. You had me scared. Seriously DG, please never do anything like that again.”

                “I wasn’t trying to hurt myself. I just wanted to feel clean. I need to feel clean. I wanted to burn his touch off me just like he burned. The heat from the water would burn it off.” DG’s blue eyes filled with tears. “No matter what I did, or how hot the water got I couldn’t get his touch off me. The pain was just a reminder of what he did.” Tears began slipping down her cheeks and catching in her hair. Thinking about the pain usually made it worse, but surprisingly, not this time. “Cain, it doesn’t hurt anymore, why?” Nodding his head, he said, “When Raw was healing your burns he decided to heal those injuries too. Maybe he knew how much you needed the reminder gone.”

                Her silent tears became sobs, shaking her small frame. Gently pulling her upright, he placed himself behind her. After he pulled the blankets up, making sure she was covered Cain wrapped DG in his arms and just held her. DG curled her body up against him, feeling safe in the shelter of his arms and let herself cry. There was nothing he could say to ease her pain, but maybe she didn’t need words right now and maybe his arms were enough. For the second time since coming to Finaqua, DG cried herself to sleep in Wyatt Cain’s arms, as he held her close to his chest, protecting her from the painful world.

******

                The queen and her husband Ahamo held Azkadellia in their arms slowly swaying back and forth. They didn’t know how long they had been holding each other like that. Time didn’t seem to matter. Ahamo could see the change in his wife, toward Az. The walls that had been erected out of self-preservation through the years under the witch had crumbled. When the witch had died, Lavender struggled to let down the walls and let her older daughter in. Whatever she had seen in their daughter’s mind had brought them back together. Ahamo was thankful but at the same time, heartbroken.

                He had watched his family split apart because of the witch 15 annuals ago. They had finally found each other but seemed too broken to ever become whole. When Az had been taken from her bedroom by Zero, it seemed what little they had regained would be gone forever. In his heart, Ahamo had never believed his Az could do those horrible things. He was relieved to know his belief was right. What he hadn’t thought much about was what Az was going through. When she was finally free, she seemed so lost, but he felt with love and extra attention his Azkadellia would blossom. It wasn’t until DG told them about Az’s nightmares of Zero that the magnitude of the horrors she had endured became clear. After witnessing Zero rape her in front of the entire OZ, he realized that this is what she had endured in silence for all those years. The rape of body, mind, and spirit had left Azkadellia almost dead inside. Holding her in his arms, witnessing a sense of peace on her face was like a balm to his soul. There was one person missing though.

                Kissing his wife on the head Ahamo got up from behind her and kissed Az on the forehead. He softly whispered DG’s name and quietly left the room. Upon entering DG’s room, he was surprised momentarily, finding his daughter wrapped up and sleeping in Wyatt Cain’s arms. He was both relieved that she wasn’t alone and upset that Cain was comforting her. Quickly smothering those feelings, he walked quietly into the room.

                Cain knew Ahamo was there before he had even touched the bedroom door. It wasn’t until he saw DG’s dad that he relaxed. She shifted in her sleep, in response to his tensing and he softly shushed her, soothing her back into a peaceful sleep. Cain saw the play of emotions across Ahamo’s face before schooling them. He understood where those emotions were coming from, but he would never deny DG the feeling of safety she had found in his arms. She deserved to feel safe after everything she had been through.

                Ahamo came and sat in the chair close to the bed, turning the chair to face DG and Cain.

                “How is she doing?” Ahamo whispered. Cain answered, “She’s been sleeping for about an hour, thankfully without nightmares.” Cain knew her dad wanted more specific information, but he also knew DG was good at faking sleep. Those questions were better answered in private. Looking at Ahamo, Cain mouthed, not here. Receiving a nod of the head, Cain carefully began moving himself out from behind DG. She was still only covered in towels and blankets, so he was careful to keep her covered. She stirred briefly but remained asleep. Ahamo came over, placing a kiss on her forehead before the two men left the room.

                It was silently agreed that a walk outside would give them the privacy needed to talk. After walking far enough away to not be overheard, Ahamo turned to Cain. “You seem to be very close to DG.” It wasn’t a question though it required a response.

                “I admire the kid. She has so much fire inside her that she focuses on helping everyone else. Did you know she is the one that opened the iron suit I was in?” Receiving a nod, Cain continued. “She has pushed me from the moment I met her to become a better person. I owe her for bringing me back to the man I was before Zero locked me in that suit. “

                Her dad thought about what Cain had said. He knew DG was a force to be reckoned with when she decided to do something. He admired that about her as well. She was like her mother in that regard. “I’m uncomfortable with how close you have gotten. I understand why you have seen her undressed but finding her in your arms bothers me.” Ahamo was trying to find a way to voice his concerns without insulting the man.

                “Sir, I do not see either of your daughters in a way that should worry you. With DG she’s like a friend and daughter combined. I know you’re her father, but she didn’t know you until recently and I filled in when she needed one. Seeing DG and Azkadellia hurt like this breaks my heart. If I had killed Zero instead of putting him in an iron suit, none of this would have happened.” The guilt Cain felt over his choices choked him to the point that the last few words were whispered.

                Placing a hand on Cain’s shoulder Ahamo softly replied. “Yes, none of this would have happened, that is true. My daughter DG has a very high opinion of you and believes you will make the right choices. I agree with her. If you had killed Zero in cold blood, it would have changed you making you more like him. I’m honored to have you watching over my girls.” Cain’s eyes misted up at Ahamo’s words. “No more self-blame. The one responsible is dead and we need to work together to help the girls heal.” Nodding his head in agreement, Cain took a deep breath, steadying himself.

                “Cain, can you tell me what happened with DG earlier? Was she trying to kill herself? She came so close to dying, I don’t know what we would do if we lost either one of them,” Ahamo asked Cain.

                Cain placed his hand on Ahamo’s shoulder, “She wasn’t, she said she wanted to burn his touch off like he had burned. I don’t think she will try to kill herself intentionally, but DG isn’t thinking about the consequences of her actions. That is what worries me.”

***************************************************

                It wasn’t until late that night that Azkadellia began to stir. Her magic was no longer harming her, but a lot of damage had been done. The bleeding had increased to the point that Raw needed to use his healing abilities to reduce the flow. Mary didn’t have any more stored blood and was hoping the princess wouldn’t get to the point where it was needed. She might be able to use blood from a family member, but it was still risky. Keeping Az sedated was allowing her body to heal without her needing to fight the pain.

                Her mother was sitting in a chair beside the bed. She had fallen asleep and looked so peaceful. Az didn’t want to wake her, so she lay there and just watched her. The young woman realized as she lay there that she felt different. The pain was there but wasn’t as strong. The tension and fear that she had felt seemed to have faded. What was left was the worry for DG. How was DG handling what had happened to her? Just because DG had only been raped once, didn’t make her pain any less. Azkadellia needed to see her. She had to be there for her sister the way DG had been there for her.

                Rolling to her side Az managed to push herself into an upright position. The pain spiked with the movement, but she bit back the sound. Unfortunately, Azkadellia’s attempt to leave the bed was thwarted when she realized that there was an I.V. in her arm and a catheter to empty her bladder. Frustrated, she lay back down on her side and watched her mother sleep. She had loved to just watch her mother when she was young. Az wanted to grow up just like her. After a while, her eyes grew heavy and she drifted back to sleep.

 

 

                Queen Lavender tossed and turned in the chair as images from Azkadellia’s mind played out through her dreams. Leering faces of men crowded her vision. All she could feel was pain and terror. Lavender could feel the hands of the men that raped Az like ghosts on her skin. The cry of a newborn baby seemed to cut through her heart. This time she wasn’t an outside observer. She felt her hands lift the tiny, crying child and gaze at her beauty. Then a horrible presence took over snapping the baby’s fragile neck. The grief was suffocating her. Not only was her baby girl dead but it was by her own hands!

                Lavender woke abruptly, gasping for air. She couldn’t seem to catch her breath. The images were burned into her mind, into her soul. Opening her eyes, she focused on her daughter whose terror she had shared. When the queen felt capable of standing. She went to sit beside Azkadellia. Pulling her sleeping daughter into her arms, she rocked her back and forth as she cried.

                Azkadellia was drawn from sleep by the motion of being rocked as well as feelings of overwhelming grief mixed with unconditional love. Slowly opening her eyes, she realized it was her mother that was holding her wrapped tightly in her arms. The emotions were flowing from her mother as well. Being so close Az could feel the smallest amount of light coming from her mother. It had created a bond between them. A bond that she had lost when the witch took her. It wasn’t strong, but it was there.

                She didn’t move out of her mother’s arms, just lifted her head to see her mother’s face. Lavender eyes locked with brown eyes and the connection between them seemed to get stronger. Somehow her mother’s light was becoming stronger. Than Az realized that somehow, she was sharing her light magic with her mother, restoring some of what had been lost. She could feel the love from her mother flowing into her, strengthening her. There was also intense sadness, but the queen held the reason for it back. She had a suspicion that Az had buried the memory of the baby. That was something to tackle another time.

                After several minutes like that, Lavender released Az, gathering pillows to prop her up. “I’m sorry to wake you,” the queen said, smiling down at her daughter. “I want to apologize for my behavior since the eclipse. The way I have treated you is unacceptable. I have been wanting you back for so long, I was afraid to believe.” Her eyes were shining with tears as she spoke with Az. 

                “Mother, you’re not the only one that has been afraid to believe. The witch has been in control for so long that I’m unsure of who I am without her. I want to be your Azkadellia but all I see in the mirror is her. This is what she has looked like in the mirror for so long that I don’t know how to see the difference. I understand how people react when they see me. I have the same reaction. The queen wrapped her arms around her daughter. “The witch is gone and all I see is my sweet Azkadellia,” the queen whispered into Az’s hair.

                The two women began to talk, opening up to each other, sharing their hopes and fears. This was the beginning for mother and daughter to reconnect and have the relationship that had all those years ago.

 

                Zero was there! She could see him, smell him, feel his hand deep inside her tearing her! How was he there? DG watched him burn! All that was left of Zero was charred black bones. The pain was spreading. Her entire body felt like it was being burned alive.

                DG bolted upright in her bed, a scream caught in her throat. The pain from the nightmare followed her. Her body felt burned and her skin felt tight. Looking around DG recognized her bedroom in Finaqua. She had made it out of the cell alive. Both she and Az had survived.

                A knock on her door caught her attention. Taking a deep breath, she called for whoever to come in. It was her father Ahamo that stood in the doorway. “May I come in?” he asked. At DG’s nod, he came into the room and went to sit down on the bed beside her. Ahamo froze when he saw fear in his daughter’s eyes. Instead, he decided to sit in a chair a few feet away from the bed. DG’s body relaxed some but not completely. It broke her father’s heart to see the fear in her eyes and to know that even now she was afraid of him.

                “How are you feeling,” Ahamo gently asked his daughter. “I’m fine,” was DG’s quick reply. His look clearly said he didn’t believe her. “I am doing better, “she amended. They sat there in an uncomfortable silence for a bit. Neither one of them knew what to say. She wasn’t the little girl that he could scoop up into his arms and make the hurt go away. Sadly, Ahamo realized that she didn’t know him and didn’t trust him. He knew his little princess wanted to trust him but didn’t know how. At that moment, Ahamo felt a mixture of gratitude and jealousy toward Wyatt Cain. He was grateful that DG trusted Cain and that there were arms that could hold her and soothe her, but jealous that it wasn’t him.

                “Mary made you a cream to sooth the burns on your skin.” Instead of handing it over, her father set it on the bedside table. “She said that your skins going to feel tight and painful and that this would help.” Giving her father a grateful look, DG told him, thank you. Ahamo rose from his chair feeling that DG would be more comfortable without him there.

                “Daddy!” Ahamo turned back to look at his princess. “Thank you for understanding how I feel. I know this is hard for you and Mother.” Her father retook his seat by her bed. He knew she wasn’t finished. “What happened to Az,” her voice dropped to almost a whisper, “and what happened to me, isn’t anyone’s fault. I don’t want you and Mother blaming yourselves. I will be okay, and Cain said Az is doing better.”

                He should have known DG would be able to see through him, that she would understand what he was feeling. His youngest had always been like that. The tension in the room had decreased and no longer felt strained. Speaking up, Ahamo said, “Before I came in, I thought I heard you cry out. Was it a nightmare?” Nodding her head, DG felt tears well up in her eyes. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked softly. Her face was towards her lap and he wasn’t sure if he had asked too much. After a few minutes of silence, the older man decided she wasn’t going to answer. Should he leave? Did his question make her upset?

                In a soft voice, Ahamo heard DG speak. “It was Zero. He was in my dream, he’s always in my dreams. Sometimes he makes me watch him hurt Az again. Her screams echo inside my head. Other times he’s hurting me.” Looking up at her father, tears running down her cheeks, DG continued. “He was hurting me this time. I know Zero’s dead, but he’s there and alive every time I close my eyes. How do I make him go away? Daddy, please make him go away!” Tears were streaming down her face and Ahamo went to DG and wrapped his arms around her trembling body. His face wet with tears that dripped down onto her head.

                Cain had been listening to their conversation. He wasn’t eavesdropping per se. The tinman was worried about DG’s reaction to her father’s presence. Hearing her tell her father about the nightmares was a surprise for Cain. He was thankful for it though. DG needed her Daddy now more than ever. She needed both of her parents just as Azkadellia did. The walls that had been built by time and pain in the house of Gale were cracking and beginning to come down. Cain swore he would do everything in his power to help them.

 


	9. Chapter 9

DG felt strong enough to go visit her sister the following day. The burns still hurt but Raw had been able to heal the worst of it. She hadn’t seen her mother since they had arrived and wanted to see them both. Knocking on Az’s door she slowly opened it not wanting to disturb them if her sister was asleep. Her mother and Mary were talking quietly while Azkadellia slept. Her mother seemed to know she was there immediately. Rushing to her daughter, Lavender pulled her into her arms, holding her tight.

                “My Angel, “she whispered. “I’m so thankful your safe.” They stood there, arms around each other for a few minutes. Mary slipped out of the room, not wanting to intrude.

                Pulling DG back to look at her, Lavender noted the dark circles under DG’s eyes and the bruise that covered her left cheek. Softly she stroked her daughter’s face where Zero’s hand had knocked her to the ground. “Zero?” the queen asked softly. DG’s reply was a small nod, her eyes filling with tears. Taking her hand, Lavender led her Angel to a set of chairs placed close together.

                “You brought her back just like you said you would. You saved your sister, thank you.” DG was shaking her head no at her mother’s words. “I didn’t save her mother! He raped her right in front of me and all I could do was cry! There was so much blood and she kept screaming. Zero was telling me that I was next, and I couldn’t do anything!” DG’s voice had become a little louder as her body shook with the intensity of her sobs. “I couldn’t even protect myself let alone Az. She’s the one that saved me! If she hadn’t then he would have…” Her voice trailed off, unable to speak the words.

                A weak voice came from the bed. “You did save me DG! You gave me the strength to hold on! I wanted to die. I looked forward to it. When I realized that you were there, I stopped thinking about dying and started thinking about protecting you. You gave me a reason to live!” DG had gotten up when Az began to speak and sat down on the bed beside her sister. They didn’t touch hands though. Their emotions were so raw and if they had touched they would have seen and felt each other’s torment.

                Looking up into her baby sister’s eyes Az said, “I’m sorry DG. I’m sorry that I could protect you. When they hurt me, I think part of me believed I deserved it. Maybe that’s why my magic didn’t help me. When he was hurting you, I couldn’t think, I could only feel how much I loved you and how much I wanted them to pay for hurting you.”

                “Your magic paid them back for hurting you also,” DG told her. At her sister’s look of confusion, she explained. “Every single one of the men that hurt you went up in flames, the way Zero did.” Azkadellia was silent after hearing that. No one had thought to tell her. After a few minutes, sitting in silence, DG and their mother heard Az’s soft voice. “My magic didn’t protect me, but it got vengeance for what they did to me. It then turned around and hurt me. I don’t understand.” She looked to her mother for answers. Confusion was evident on her face.

                Lavender sat down on the bed with her girls as she thought how best to explain her theory. “My sweet, I don’t have any easy answers for you. I have my suspicions as to what happened.” Looking at both girls, making sure they wanted her to continue. “I suspect that your magic is as confused as you are but is trying to right the wrongs that were done. Part of you believed that you deserved what happened. Your magic is responding to your emotions. That’s why it protected DG.”

                “Mother there is a problem with your logic,” Azkadellia told her. My magic didn’t protect DG. It let Zero hurt her.” Turning to look at DG she said, “I’m so sorry that I let Zero hurt and rape you!” Tears were streaming down her face. DG had a look of shock on her face that morphed into anger. “Who told you? DG demanded. “How did you find out? When did you find out?” DG stopped suddenly as she connected Az’s words. “You said your magic hurt you. Your magic tortured you because you think Zero raping me is your fault? I’m the reason?” DG was so confused and angry. She knew her anger wasn’t rational but that didn’t stop it from growing. “What changed? Why isn’t it hurting you now?” Her questions were flying one after the other at her sister.

                Azkadellia was shocked at DG’s reaction. Her mind struggled to understand it. Not knowing what to do, Az responded instinctively. Her hand moved quickly, grabbing DG’s hand. When her sister tried to pull away Az held tight. Using her other hand, the young woman grabbed her mother’s. Just like when her power exploded, saving DG and herself, she just let go and let the magic take control.

                It was like they had been picked up in a tornado in their minds. They weren’t spinning around, it was their memories that were spinning. They saw Lavender’s joyful memories of her daughter’s births. They saw through her eyes as her beautiful girls grew. They saw memories from DG when she was little at Finaqua. Az’s memories of running and playing in the maze. The three of them shared happy memories from their pasts. They saw DG’s memories from her life on the other side and could even feel the thrill of riding her motorcycle.

                The memories from Azkadellia and her mother over in the OZ weren’t happy and bright. A lot of the memories that Lavender had seen previously in Az’s mind flashed by. Some of them were the early happy ones and so many of the painful ones. The queen could sense when the memories from Az’s baby were coming and she managed to push them back into the swirling winds. She knew that her daughter wasn’t ready to handle them, not yet, she thought. Azkadellia’s memories of her time possessed by the sorceress and what she had felt flew by in the storm of memories.

                The three women’s memories were beginning to merge, following the timeline after DG came back to the OZ. They felt the triumph when DG and Az destroyed to the witch, freeing Azkadellia. All their memories came together in one place in time. It was the night the older princess was kidnapped from her room. The storm of memories still raged around them but what they saw was more than just the flashes and impressions of memories as the previous ones had been. They saw and experienced each other’s pain and anguish since that night. They grieved together for each other and their strong bond developed and deepened.

                When the storm began to dissipate, they found themselves sitting on or beside Az’s bed, clutching hands. Tears were streaming down their faces. No words were needed at that point. They felt a bond between them stronger than it had ever been. Arms wrapped around each other in a tight group hug. As they slowly let go of each other, their magic that had merged flowed back into each of them. Lavender was surprised by the light magic she felt flowing back into her. It was magic from both DG and Azkadellia that filled her. It had been so long since she had felt the light within herself. Being from her girls made the light even more precious to her. Focusing on her daughters, the queen felt they needed some time alone. Rising from her seat, she kissed her girls on their heads, whispering her love and left the room.

                DG’s and Azkadellia’s hands were still joined as they sat side by side. Looking at each other they both spoke at the same time. “I’m sorry!” Smiling DG started again. “I’m sorry I was angry. I don’t really know why I was. Maybe insisting on protecting you from the knowledge of Zero raping me was my way of trying to protect myself. In comparison to what they put you through, I shouldn’t let it bother me so much.” Azkadellia stopped DG at that point with a squeeze of her hand. “DG, it doesn’t matter how many times you’re raped, it hurts you just as much. It’s about control. Zero stole that from both of us. I think this is harder for you because of your life on the other side. I haven’t had control of my life in 15 annuals. You have been safe and I’m so thankful you were. You came to the OZ with an innocence protecting you from the horrible things that can happen in life. Because of that innocence, you were able to save all of us from the witch. Zero has stolen some of that innocence and forced you to feel the darkness. You can’t undo what he did, but you can fight him by not letting the darkness stay inside you. You are strong DG even though you don’t feel it right now.”

                Tears dripped off DG’s chin as she listened to her sister’s words. She knew they were true but didn’t know if she could be as strong as Az believed. Looking up into her sister’s eyes the younger princess spoke her voice full of concern. “What about what happened to you? You can’t brush it aside as just another one of the painful things that happened because of the witch. I know what they did to you. You were dying and the only way to save you was to use my magic with Raw to try and repair some of the damage. With each injury, I saw what they did to you. Knowing you were reliving those horrors because of the guilt you felt about what happened to me, it makes my heart hurt.”

                “It is over now, mother helped me by going into my mind and loving me unconditionally. After seeing everything that I had done and that was done to me, she still loves me.” There was a puzzled look on her face as she continued, “Mother is hiding something from me. I know she saw something in my mind that she doesn’t want me to remember. I don’t know what to feel about her keeping it from me.”

                “I don’t believe she would keep something from you without a good reason. Maybe she wants to give you time to heal before remembering. If it was bad enough that you suppressed the memory, maybe it would be best to keep it buried.” Nodding in agreement, Az tried to stifle a big yawn. She chuckled as DG yawned in return. “Az, maybe you should get some rest. I’m tired from the emotional whirlwind. You must be exhausted.” Giving her a hug, the young princess tucked her sister into bed, kissed her on the forehead and left the room.

                When DG went into her room, she found her mother waiting there. Weary, she moved to sit in a chair beside her mother. There was a look of concern on her mother’s face. “I feel I have been neglecting you and I’m sorry.” Stopping her mother DG said, “You have nothing to be sorry for. I didn’t know how to help her and the mental pain that seemed to radiate off her was almost too much to bear. You have been an answer to my prayers. Cain has been here for me and even Daddy. I feel bad for Daddy that I can’t turn to him. “Taking her hand Lavender comforted her, “He understands why Cain has been there for you when we weren’t. I’m grateful that you have your friends. Both you and your sister have been blessed to be friends with them.”

*********************************************

Azkadellia stood in front of a floor length mirror looking at her image. She was nude, and she finally had the courage to view her entire body and the physical reminders of her captivity and the horrors that she experienced. It had been over 3 weeks since she had been rescued and most of the cuts that Zero had sliced on her torso were healed and thankfully wouldn’t scar. Unfortunately, the biggest one that began at her collar bone and ended above her belly button, would leave a definite scar. It wasn’t as bad as the bite marks though. There were four different sets of teeth marks on her breasts and one on her neck. The ones on her breasts were still an angry red because they had gotten infected and were taking longer to heal. Mary told her that they would eventually fade to silvery lines and wouldn’t be as noticeable, but Az didn’t really believe her. They would always be there, announcing to anyone that saw them what had happened. The wound on her side from the knife cutting into her would scar but it wouldn’t be terribly big, and it wouldn’t be in her direct sight like the rest of them.

                Below the small mound of hair at the apex of her thighs was where the worst injuries had been and the worst pain. Every move she made was still painful, though she wouldn’t admit it to the others. It had taken over a week for her bladder to be healed enough to be able to have the catheter removed. She still had to be helped to the bathroom, but she wanted it out. Her bowels had taken a lot longer, and the princess was still in considerable pain when she used the restroom. Az was still bleeding from the damage to her vagina and colon. She had finally convinced Mary to tell her how bad it had been and had been frightened by what she learned. The bleeding was slow but consistent. Mary told her that it was normal and that her body was healing itself. These injuries weren’t visible from the outside, but it was still very painful to sit or stand for very long. She forced herself to endure the pain though. Laying down made her feel weak and helpless. After everything she had gone through, Azkadellia put it off until she had no choice. Her friends and family knew and understood her feelings. They kept a close eye on Az allowing her to push her body to a certain point but not far enough it to cause her harm.

                Sometimes when the nightmares came, Azkadellia refused to lay back down. She would push her way out of bed, no matter what Mary or her mother said or did and stand by the window staring out but not seeing the view. Instead, Az saw their faces and heard horrible the sounds of them grunting and laughing as they raped her repeatedly. On occasion she would allow her mother to hold her hand, sharing the loving light she had. It was comforting but the princess knew that her mother often saw the horrors going through her head and didn’t want to put her through that.

                DG would often sense her sister’s distress. Even though they were in different rooms, they always seemed to have the worst nightmares at the same time. DG had been struggling with everything that had happened in that cell. She had been withdrawing into herself and would stay in her room most of the day. Most of the time though, she wasn’t alone. Her family and friends would take turns coming in and visiting. Glitch always tried to make her laugh and sometimes he succeeded. She felt most at ease when it was Azkadellia, Raw or Cain that visited with her. They knew what she had gone through and didn’t badger her with questions about how she felt all the time. If she wanted to sit quietly, that’s what they did. The silence was never strained. There were times that DG could share what was going on in her head and other times she couldn’t. Over time, talking was becoming easier for her. The unconditional love she felt from those around her helped.

                DG and Azkadellia both were struggling with the guilt they felt about what happened in that horrible cell at the hands of monsters. The feelings of helplessness and hopelessness haunted them awake and asleep. They couldn’t protect themselves just like they couldn’t protect each other. DGs mind was often running different what-if scenarios through her head, trying to figure out what she could have done differently to protect Az from Zero. The only problem was that every scenario that she came up with ended with Az dead and often them both dead. It felt like she was beating her head against the wall.

                One-night DG woke from her worst nightmare since they were rescued from the cell. In it, her sister Az had died in her arms. Blood covered both of their naked bodies. Az’s magic hadn’t saved them. Zero had raped DG repeatedly as her sister cried for him to stop. When he was finally tired of DG’s body, Zero left the two women lying together on the blood-soaked mattress. Hurrying to Azkadellia’s side, DG pulled her sister’s limp body into her arms. Az opened her brown eyes looking up into the young princesses’ blue ones. As DG watched, the light in her eyes seemed to fade and disappear. The brown eyes once so full of life were open but empty. Zero’s laughter filled her ears mocking her. He had won. Az was dead.

In the bedroom beside DG’s, Azkadellia was having a similar nightmare. In it, after raping DG, Zero, had given her to his men like he had with Az. DG was forced to endure the same tortures her sister had. The shotgun was the worst. When they were finally finished, Az scooted over to her sister, gathering DG into her arms. The blood poured out from between her legs. There was so much blood, too much. DG opened her eyes briefly meeting her sisters terrified brown orbs. She tried to give Az a smile but it turned into a grimace of pain. Her blue eyes slipped closed and didn’t open again. This was the second time that Azkadellia had watched her baby sister die, helpless to save her. The sound of the old witch cackling rang in her ears. “It’s your fault!” rang over and over.

Azkadellia sat up in her bed gasping for air. Moving as fast as she could, she threw off her blankets and rushed to the door. When she flung open the door both Wyatt and Jeb Cain jumped up looking for danger. She didn’t hear them when they asked what was wrong, she just rushed toward DG’s room. As she reached the door, it opened on its own. DG stood there, both gasping for air. After a few seconds frozen, looking at each other, they flung their arms around each other sobbing. Wyatt Cain gently guided the sobbing princesses into DG’s room and sat them on the bed. After that he left the room, closing the door behind them. It was going to take them a long time, but he knew they were slowly healing. The princesses had always been stronger together

 

 

The royal family and their close friends had been at Finiqua for 2 months. Ahamo had left to go back to the castle the week before. The OZ still had a lot of healing to do and someone was needed to oversee it. Lavender was relieved that Ahamo was willing and able to fill in for her. She felt her place was with her girls. The queen had no intention of going anywhere without them. Truth be told, she was worried about Azkadellia. The princess had begun vomiting a few days before and seemed quite ill. The queen had asked Mary had continued to stay on with them and she had been monitoring Az.

Mary had done a blood draw to try and determine the cause of Azkadellia’s illness. The midwife had a feeling she knew what was wrong with the princess but hoped it wasn’t true. After ruling out every sickness that might cause these symptoms and finding nothing, Mary finally ran a pregnancy test. It came back a clear positive. Her heart filled with sorrow. Giving the news to a family that they were expecting was almost as wonderful and handing them their baby. This time, however, was very different. How was this news going to be received? After the horrors that Azkadellia endured, how would she feel to know she was pregnant by one of those monsters. Using the excuse of checking for an illness she had gotten a blood sample from DG and tested it. DG had been so terrified by the idea of becoming pregnant from Zero raping her. Mary breathed a huge sigh of relief when her test came back negative. The older woman was concerned about giving Princess Azkadellia news that she was pregnant. She felt it would be best to tell the queen first and get her aid in how to tell the princess.

Mary found the queen sitting alone in the garden. She seemed to be staring at the lake,  but Mary could tell that her mind was elsewhere. Not wanting to startle the queen, Mary cleared her throat and said, “Your Majesty, make I speak with you?” Lavender nodded indicating a chair beside hers. ”I received the test results as to the cause of Princess Azkadellia’s illness.” Turning to face Mary, the queen asked, “She’s pregnant, isn’t she?” Mary only nodded her head. “What about DG?” She exhaled a sigh of relief when Mary shook her head no. She then asked the queen, as Az’s mother, how they should tell her. “Leave it to me. There is something I have been putting of talking to her about anyway. Thank you for letting me know. I truly appreciate everything you have done for my girls. My Azkadellia would have died without your care.” Lavender wrapped her arms around the midwife giving her a hug of gratitude. Mary’s arms wrapped tightly around the princesses’ mother. She had come to love the girls and by extension the whole family, which included their friends. As she held on, the first silent sob shook the queen’s shoulders. The sobs grew harder shaking the queen’s entire body. She hadn’t allowed herself to give in to her emotions and they came crashing over her in waves.

When the queen’s sobs finally stopped, the two women just sat there beside each other. Mary had silently shed her own tears with the queen, sharing in her grief. Now a sense of calm filled them both. Getting up, Lavender brushed off her dress and told Mary that she was going to go wash her face before speaking to Azkadellia. Smiling gently at her, the queen walked back toward the palace.

Lavender found her eldest child resting in her sitting room. Azkadellia refused to be confined to bed because she was ill. She lay reclining on a couch in front of a large window looking over the beautiful lake. Her mother joined her enjoying the view. Jeb had been staying with Az but left at the queen’s request.

“Azkadellia, I need to talk with you about something.” Az turned toward her mother giving her full attention. “My sweet, I have been keeping something from you.” Az nodded saying, “I know you have.” Surprised Lavender asked, “Why haven’t you said something?”

“I spoke with DG about it. We agreed that whatever it is, you have a good reason to keep it. We believe it’s a memory of some kind. What don’t I remember Mother?” Surprised at her daughter’s insight, she tried to decide the best way to proceed.

“When I first arrived here do you remember when Raw helped me find you in your mind?” At her daughter’s nod, she continued. “There were so many things that I saw that you had experienced over the last 15 annuals. It was a time full of pain and sorrow for you.” Tears filled both of their eyes as she continued. “There was a time during those years that was different. You were happy. Azkadellia, do you remember being pregnant?”

Pain filled Az’s eyes as she remembered what had happened. “Yes, I remember.” Surprised, the queen continued. “Can you tell me what you remember?” Az didn’t want to talk about it but knew it must be important for her mother to bring it up. Taking a deep breath, she began. “Zero got me pregnant. The witch told him to cut it out of me. I remember the pain as he forced a knife inside me to kill it.” Lavender waited for her to continue but realized that was all she remembered. “Do you remember being happy that you were pregnant?” she asked. Frowning at her mother she asked, “Why would I be happy? All I remember is the pain.” She was becoming upset, unsure why her mother was making her relive this. Zero was dead. She didn’t want to remember the other things he had done to her.

Lavender could see that Az was becoming upset. She was unsure about how to proceed. Cautiously continuing, “Do you remember how far along you were?” It broke her heart to see the pain in her daughter’s eyes as she shook her head no. “Akadellia, my words are only bringing pain. I’d like to take you slowly through your memories. I believe there is something you need to remember.” Taking Az’s cold hands into her own, she began to share the memories.

Az saw herself standing in front of a mirror with her hand on her small round stomach. She was clearly pregnant but didn’t remember this happening. Her mother guided her mind into the pregnant woman from the pasts mind. The witch was there, strong and powerful and Azkadellia tried to pull away, in fear, but her mother quickly guided her to the small part of the princess that had been forced down by the witch. In that small part of herself, the young woman found happiness.

Az was completely confused at what she was seeing and feeling. Her past self could feel the baby’s mind and shared an incredible connection with her unborn child. Azkadellia could feel the love her past self, felt for her baby. The more the baby grew the happier she was. As time went on the witch realized that the princesses love for this child was weakening her hold on her prisoner. She couldn’t have that.

Lavender suddenly pulled Az away from the memory. She needed to talk with her daughter before going any further. “My Sweet, do you remember how you felt?” There was a shocked, confused look on the young woman’s face. Hesitantly Az replied, “I remember how much I loved her. I remember the feel of her mind. Her light was so bright. Is that why the witch had Zero kill her because I loved her?” Sorrow filled her mother’s eyes. “You were gaining in power. She was losing control of you. She needed you afraid and in pain to dominate you. Your love for your child frightened her.”

The full memory came flooding back all at once. Zero’s face looming over her as the witch gave her body to him, the horror she felt when she found out she was pregnant by him. That’s why the witch didn’t terminate it. She felt her little prisoner’s horror and liked the idea of having a younger body to move to when she was tired of this one. But when Az felt the first tentative touch of the baby’s mind to hers and the instant connection they had, everything changed. Feeling her joy swell as her belly swelled. Every move, every little kick was magic to her. Fear filled her as she realized the witch was planning something. She was surprised that she knew that. That’s when Az realized that the baby was making her stronger and the threat it was to the witch.

Az tore herself away from the memory in terror. She knew what was coming and the love she felt for her child was ripping her heart in two. Her mother understood what was happening and enveloped her child in her arms. Azkadellia was afraid to see the rest of the memory. There was more than just a knife stabbing into her womb. What happened to her daughter? She had to know but didn’t think she could bear to see it.

Holding her daughter, Lavender began to tell the rest of the story. “After Zero used the knife, you went into labor. She was alive and beautiful when you delivered her.” Az was afraid to hear the next words and Lavender was hurting knowing she had to say them. “The witch let you pick her up for a short time. Then she broke the baby’s neck.” Az curled in on herself crying out her pain as she remembered the feel of her hands snapping her daughter’s neck. Watched as her hands dropped the lifeless body onto the bed. The memory overwhelmed her as she screamed out her grief.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is still a bit rough. I wrote it but haven't had time to edit it. I wanted to get it up for you as soon as I could.

DG knew something was horribly wrong. She had felt different emotions emanating from her mother and sister even though she was on the other side of the palace playing cards with her friends. She liked to think of Cain, his son Jeb, Raw and Glitch as her boys. The mood had been light, around the table but DG knew something was happening involving her sister.

Cain had known right away that something was going on by the look on DG’s face. He watched as different emotions showed on her face. He knew that she was somehow linked to Azkadellia’s emotions. They had to be very strong for that type of connection to happen from this distance. When DG suddenly jerked upright, jumping out of her chair and running toward her sister, Cain was right behind her. They could hear her screams when they were still a distance away. DG was sobbing with her sister as they ran. Cain gripped her arm, making sure she didn’t fall as her eyes were blinded by tears. Throwing open the door DG flew to her sister’s side, pulling her into her arms, sliding to the ground. The screams reduced in volume once Az was in her sister’s arms. Together they cried over the grief of a child lost.

Lavender was unprepared for how fast Azkadellia’s mind filled in the blanks and restored the gruesome memory of her baby’s death. She felt Az’s mind scream as well as heard her voice. DG and Cain came running into the room so quickly that DG must have heard the scream in her mind. Her daughters clutched to each other as they shared in the grief.

As DG ran into Az’s room, the wave of emotions threatened to drown her. Before she even touched her sister, the memories slammed into her mind. They shared together in the grief for the baby and the rage at the witch. Az’s mind kept seeing the baby in her own hands as she snapped the neck. She saw herself doing it. DG saw the witch. Through the connection, they shared DG was able to get Az to see the witches’ hands not her own. It didn’t diminish the pain, but it allowed Az to begin to separate herself from the horrible actions of the witch.

While all of this was happening, Ahamo, Mary, Jeb, Raw, and Glitch came running into the room to find out what was happening. Raw could feel the wave of emotions almost as strongly as DG did. He knew that the princesses needed their help. Everyone had frozen at the door, unsure of what to do. Raw decided what to do and pushed everyone toward the princesses and their mother. Taking Cain’s hand, he placed it on DG’s shoulder. He placed his own on Azkadellia’s shoulder. The others quickly understood what Raw wanted them to do. They formed a tight circle around the girls placing a hand on one of them. Feelings of love, friendship, protection flowed through them.

DG and Az began to feel more than grief, pain, and anger. They felt loved unconditionally. They felt friendship and protection wrap around them like a blanket. The sobbing slowed and eventually faded away. There were no words needed at this time just all of them together. One by one the hands were removed, and the person would step back. Cain removed his hand but didn’t move from where he was. Az was still wrapped tightly in DG’s arms, but DG could feel her sister’s grip loosen and her body begin to become limp as she lost consciousness. Cain saw the princess’ body go limp and was right there to help DG hold her up. Gently he pulled her from DG’s arms, scooping her up into his own. He placed the unconscious princess back onto the couch knowing she would prefer that to her bed. Cain gently brushed the hair out of her face before laying his hand on her cheek. Turning to the queen he asked her what happened.

The queen took a shaky breath, trying to compose herself. “There was a memory from a few years ago that her mind had blocked. She could remember the physical pain from it but was unable to remember the joy and the emotional pain. Please believe me when I say that it was very important that she remember. I cannot tell all of you more about it at this time, but you will know soon enough.” Nodding their understanding each of them turned to leave the room. “Cain,” the queen called, “will you please stay?” He nodded his head and moved to stand by the sleeping princess on the couch. Seeing DG still on the floor and clearly exhausted, Cain changed his mind and sat down on the floor beside her. He wrapped an arm around DG and she laid her head on his shoulder.

When only the princesses, their parents, and Cain were left in the room, the queen knew she needed to tell them more. Turning to look out the window, the queen began to speak. “Several years ago, Azkadellia became pregnant.” She was silent for a bit. Ahamo wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. Taking a shaky breath, she continued. “Zero was the father. The witch wanted to use it as a way to torture Azkadellia. She also planned on using it as a replacement body on to when she was done with Az. Things changed when the baby reached for her mother’s mind.” At the looks on her listeners' faces, she continued. “Yes, it was a baby girl and her light magic was very strong. She gave her Azkadellia strength, weakening the witches hold on her. About a month before the baby was due the witch decided to kill the baby to punish her and take away that strength. Zero used his knife trying to kill the baby.” Ahamo and Cain were sickened by what they were hearing. Ahamo asked Lavender if that was why Az had been so afraid of Zero. “Yes, what he did was a part of the nightmares that she has had for years. Zero’s knife didn’t kill her, but it did put Az into labor. The baby was small but was born alive and strong. Picking her up, the witch snapped the baby’s neck. After that, the witch was able to completely take control of Azkadellia. That’s a large part of why things go so much worse. Az wasn’t fighting her anymore.”

Cain had been thinking about what the queen had said but something was bothering him. “You said it was important that she remember, why now? She’s been doing so good. Why’d you drag up more pain from the witch and Zero?” Her eyes were sad as the queen looked at him. “I feel she needed to know about the baby and the love she felt for it.” Puzzled, Cain asked, “Why?” Turning her gaze to DG, the queen softly replied, “She’s pregnant.” Silence filled the room. “I found out about her daughter right after I got here when I went into her mind. I was amazed at the love and incredible bond that Az formed with the baby. When I found out that she was pregnant this morning, I was afraid that she would hate this child. Maybe if Az remembered how much she loved her baby girl then she could love this one as well. Maybe it will even help her to heal.”

Looking at her mother DG asked, “Does she know yet?” Her mother shook her head no in reply. DG was remembering her fears about either of them becoming pregnant. Hesitantly she asked, “Am I pregnant?” “No, My Angel, you are not pregnant.” DG breathed a sigh of relief but was unsure how to feel about Az being pregnant by one of those monsters. “What if she decides not to keep it?” Lavender and Ahamo looked at each other before the queen replied. “We will follow her wishes. I hope she doesn’t choose to end the pregnancy. That’s part of why I showed her the memory. I want her to know that she can love a child even if the conception was against her will. She has before.” Cain was thinking about the possible future. “What if she decides not to end the pregnancy but give up the child? You said the other one’s light was strong. A child with that kind of power could be used for evil as well as for good.” Ahamo answered him, “We would find a family that could be trusted, and we would keep an eye on the child. It would still be our grandchild no matter who raises it.”

They were quiet for a few minutes lost in their own thoughts. Finally, DG looked at her mother and said, “Mother, I want to be the one to tell her. “ There was surprise written on her parent's faces but not on Cain’s. Knowing DG, the way he did, he knew she would be the best choice to take to Azkadellia about it. Her mother and father looked at each other, seeming to have a silent conversation. Finally, they both nodded their heads. “Would you like us to leave you two alone?” DG nodded to them and watched as they left the room. Cain stayed there with her for a while, sitting beside her, not speaking. He was her rock that she could lean on when needed.

“How do I tell her? How do I tell her that one of those monsters made her pregnant and that I’m not? Why does she have to have all of these horrible things happen to her?”

“I don’t know, kid, I do know that she’s strong just like you are. Individually you are both forces to be reckoned with, but together, you are unstoppable. I’m thankful that I’m on your side. I would be scared not to.” DG smiled at his joking. She needed his reassurance and support. “Thank you, Cain, I’m not sure where I’d be without you right now.” Instead of answering, he gave her shoulder a squeeze and got to his feet. “You know where to find me if you need me.” With a soft smile, Wyatt Cain left the room, closing the door behind him.

 

 

            DG sat watching the birds fly over the lake and then dive down to catch a fish. They were fascinating to watch. Azkadellia lay on a couch beside her. She had yet to wake after fainting earlier. DG knew that facing those long-buried memories and the emotional roller coaster, took a lot out of her sister. She was content to just to keep Az company. The young princess didn’t know what to say to her sister when she woke, but she decided that worrying wasn’t going to help either of them, so she sat watching the lake.

            DG didn’t know how much time had passed. She had nodded off and was slowly became aware of the sound of her sister crying. Sitting up, DG saw Azkadellia on the couch, but she had curled herself into a ball. Her face was buried behind her hands and was crying softly. The young princess got up and went over to the couch. She sat beside Az and pulled her head into her lap. DG just sat there stroking her sister’s hair offering comfort without needing to speak. Eventually, Az quieted and lay there enjoying the quiet with her sister.

            After a while, DG heard her sister’s soft voice. “She was beautiful. She had a full head of dark hair even though she was so tiny. I remember the feel of her mind and how she felt when she moved inside me. It was the most amazing thing I have ever felt.” She fell silent for a time and DG just waited ready to listen. “She was afraid. I think she was responding to my fear, but as she was being born, I can remember her fear of leaving me. I couldn’t even tell her that she would be okay. I wanted to tell her that she would be safe in my arms, but I knew it wasn’t true.” Tears had begun to fall again. This time both princesses’ eyes were wet. “When I held her up to look at her, I couldn’t believe how beautiful and perfect she was. Then the witch took control. She kept me right there, fully aware of what was going on. My hands that wanted to cradle my baby girl, snapped her neck. When her neck snapped, I felt her die. I felt the touch of her little mind, her light, disappear. All I remember after that is the witches’ laughter. It followed me, and I couldn’t escape it. I tried to make myself as little as possible, so she couldn’t find me. I think I went away for a long time. It wasn’t until the witch found out that you were alive, that I began to try to get out.”

            That sat in a comfortable silence for a while. The mood was sad, but it wasn’t filled with the raw emotion that overwhelmed them. Azkadellia felt safe sharing these memories with her sister. “She had a name. I was able to keep it hidden from the witch. Her name was DG after her aunt that had died. It was a perfect name for her.” Slowly She pushed herself upright moving her head from DG’s lap to DG’s shoulder. “Mother had a reason for making me remember, didn’t she?” DG nodded unable to speak. She was choked up knowing that Az had named her baby after her. “Do you know what the reason is?” DG swallowed back to tears and took a deep breath. “Mother wanted you to remember how much you loved your little girl even though she was conceived against your will.” Sitting up more Az looked into DG's face. “Why?” She asked softly.

            Answering Az’s question was just a difficult as she had feared but she had to. “Because you’re pregnant.” Azkadellia was silent after hearing what DG had said. Somehow, she had known. How did she feel about it? Her baby girl had been conceived against her will but the sheer brutality of the attacks this time made it hard to process. Somehow, she knew that Zero was the father of this baby too. She hated Zero more than anyone except the witch. He had abused her for years at the encouragement of the witch. Then he took her from her home, brutally raped her in front of the whole OZ and gave her to his men. It wasn’t until he hurt DG that she finally was able to stop him. How would DG feel about the baby being fathered by Zero? Azkadellia’s mind seemed to go around and around. DG sat quietly as her sister tried to process what she had said. She had no clue as to what Az was thinking. She was thankful that her sister seemed to be taking the news well.

            “DG would you mind letting me be by myself for a while? I have a lot to think about and would rather do it alone.” DG nodded, giving her sister a tight hug and leaving the room. She closed the door behind her and decided she could use some alone time herself. The princess didn’t say anything as she walked by her parents. She knew they wanted to know how it went but would wait until one of the girls were ready to tell them. Deciding that there were too many people in the palace, DG decided to go to the gazebo and sit on the swing. It had always calmed to her, helping her to think. Right now, she could use some calming. Cain followed her from a distance. The young woman knew he was there but also knowing he wouldn’t intrude on her privacy. She had come to accept and even welcome his silent presence.

            DG kept thinking about Az naming her baby after her. She felt more connected somehow to the baby that only lived a few minutes. She wished she could have seen her. Maybe the baby could have been saved from the witch if she had only been there. DG knew that her thoughts weren’t logical. It wouldn’t have mattered. No one could have saved baby DG.

            Her train of thought brought her to the baby Az carried now. She was so grateful that Zero hadn’t gotten her pregnant but felt ashamed for feeling that way. Az wasn’t so lucky.

The princess sat on the swing, staring out over the lake, watching as the first of the two suns set. It was becoming a little chilly and she shivered a little. DG didn’t hear him come up but felt a coat being placed around her shoulders. He still didn’t say anything, waiting for her to speak if she wanted to.

            “She named her baby DG.” Her voice was quiet, and Cain had to strain to hear her. “The witch took both DGs from her. She forced Az to watch, to feel the baby’s neck as it snapped.” Turning suddenly, DG buried her face in Cain’s chest, sobbing.

He was surprised at first but then wrapped his arms around the trembling princess. Cain just held her against his chest as she cried. He thought about everything that the princesses had been through. He didn’t know how to help them. Wyatt remembered feeling overwhelmed like this when Jeb was a baby. Both Adora and Jeb had gotten sick and he was torn between helping his wife and calming the hysterical son. Adora was always the one that could calm Jeb. Cain was sure his son hated him because all he did was cry when his dad held him. He could remember Adora’s voice telling him to just hold the baby and let him feel his dad’s strength. Cain remembered holding Jeb and just thinking about being strong for his son. This calmed dad which in turn calmed the baby. He thought of that as he held DG in his arms. He would let her feel his strength. Maybe it would help the princess feel like the world wasn’t resting on shoulders. Maybe she would let others help share the load.


End file.
